Sustainability of engineered wood products in construction

Abstract: Engineered wood products are made from a variety of wood substances which are held together by an adhesive; the aim being to use the wood fibre more efficiently by redistributing and reinforcing natural defects and by forming the products into structurally efficient shapes unachievable by sawing, thereby doing more with less wood fibre. While additional energy resources are required to process engineered wood products they remain largely renewable and thus sustainable compared with competing materials that involve considerable mining. This chapter describes the manufacture of these wood products, reviews life cycle analysis (LCA) studies of their application to domestic housing and describes their use in larger public buildings.