Eighth International Conference on The Constructed Environment

Abstract

Wood is one of the most ancient construction material used for mankind, widely used in many cultures, including the native Brazilian Indians. Around 60% of Brazil’s territory, which corresponds to 270 million hectares, is composed of forests. Brazil is also on of the main producers of wood products in the world. Still, for decades wood was considered as a low-quality construction material, and wood buildings were regarded as the poor’s. This image was a result of lack of knowledge and inappropriate use of the material over time, leading to constructions with low durability. However, due to research around the world revealing the benefits of the use of wood as a way to mitigate the effects of climate change and new technologies being developed - such as glulam - wood construction in Brazil is being reborn. This paper describes how this process is happening, along with the challenges it is facing.