What benefits can be gained by using wood for construction and what are the issues to consider? Construction Week investigates
Wood has been used in construction projects for centuries. From some of the earliest buildings it has featured prominently as a construction tool, structural material and aesthetic finish. But what part is the material playing in today’s sector, what benefits is this bringing to the contractors and end-users and of what issues should they be aware of?
Wood in construction
In the Middle East today, wood is primarily used for two purposes: as a formwork material during the construction process and to provide the final finish to the interior décor. In other regions of the world it is also used as a structural element, but this is generally an uncommon practice in the Gulf.
“Building codes and regulations differ from one country to another; the actual structures in the Middle East are almost always done with steel, but in areas such as North America and Europe, timber is used for the actual structure of the homes as opposed to concrete and steel,” reports Madar Holding purchasing vice president Hesham Elabd. “The reasons [for this] are affordability, strength, design flexibility and beauty,” he explains.
Some buildings in the Middle East do have wood implemented within the structure, including high-profile projects such as the Jumeirah Beach Resort in Dubai and Sharjah’s Sahara Mall, but these remain largely as exceptions to the norm.
“[The use of wood products] remains mostly for aesthetics and to fit the general theme chosen by the architect or designers,” states Mohiudeen Wood business development manager Gerard de Rozario. “Wood here is normally used for formwork, in the form of plywood or softwood – large volumes of softwood [are sold] for formwork and temporary scaffolding. This [market] is always huge because of the large number of projects underway here,” he adds.
With forests not featuring greatly in the natural landscape of the Gulf, the majority of wood used for the construction industry must be imported, which raises issues of availability, cost and transportation. However, the region’s location does ease the potential problem of availability.
“In general, most materials are abundantly available in this part of the world,” assures TIC managing director Jitendra Bhatia. “Dubai has fantastic infrastructure that enables quick transportation and dissemination of imports/re-exports and a very active trading community, both locally and within the GCC, so there are never really any shortages of most materials, bar the occasional period of unusually high demand such as the situation we faced for most of 2007-2008,” he adds.
This high demand from the region’s construction projects helps to ensure that supplies are more readily available than they may be otherwise.
“The downturn in global demand has only made us more aware of the fact that the attention of the world is focused on the GCC markets. Since these are the only markets where a lot of construction activity is still progressing, we are never short of new sources,” states Bhatia.
Indonesian-based tropical hardwood and plywood manufacturer Korindo, ships to all ports in the GCC region on a monthly basis in order to meet client needs. “[Korindo] charters its own vessel at the end of every month due to the high volume of orders from their GCC customers,” Bhatia adds.
The sources of wood vary according to the type, with supplies being offered from countries worldwide. “Plywood is typically sourced from Indonesia, China and Brazil; softwood timber from Chile, Austria, New Zealand and Romania; and hardwoods from Africa, North America and Indonesia to name but a few [sources],” reports Bhatia.
“With more and more companies trading wood products in the Middle East, it is now possible to find virtually any type
of species locally. Companies such as Madar, will carry all types of hardwoods, softwoods and engineered wood at all
times,” adds Elabd.
Market forces
With the current global recession making costs even higher on the agenda than usual, can this material provide any respite to firms struggling to meet their project budgets?
“Timber prices fluctuated widely for the last two years,” reports Bhatia. “The movement was mostly in one direction i.e. prices were increasing continuously due to various reasons: increasing shipping freights due to demand, increasing shipping freight due to cost of oil, in land transportation charges, withdrawal of government subsidies, scarcity of good logs and a general demand led increase in the cost of raw materials,” he adds.
Over the long-term however, the cost of wood is relatively more stable than some other materials such as steel, stress Elabd and de Rozario.
“The biggest factors are log prices and energy costs as well as freight,” states Elabd. The continued demand for wood-based products is also ensuring that any short-term fluctuations remain relatively small. “Just like every other commodity in the world, wood prices have dipped over the past six months or so, although not at the same rate as steel,” reports Elabd.
“The need for wood is still there, even if there is no real construction boom. People need to change their furniture, renovate their homes, put in hardwood flooring, etc. The wood species used specifically in the construction field have seen the bottom and are now recovering. In fact, certain species have recently seen price increases,” he explains.
Procurement issues
Before buying wood products there are certain issues that contractors should consider, ranging from product quality and consistency, to treatments needed.
“There are a lot of qualities in wood, which comes in different grades,” explains Madhusudan Rao, head-sales, Danube Building Materials.
“An [unskilled] person will not be in a position to identify these differences, it requires a lot of training on the ground,” he adds. Customers should educate themselves before selecting the species or specific grade needed for a project in order to ensure it will meet the build requirements.
“One needs to understand the final use for the product in question and to take several factors into consideration such as the strength or density needed; climatic conditions; what grade is really needed; and whether the material has to be [kiln dried],” explains Elabd.
The individual mill that provides the wood may have a large impact on the final product supplied and buyers should be aware of possible discrepancies.
This issue varies between countries, as Bhatia explains: “Plywood products from Indonesia are standardised to a high degree, so there is not much variation from mill to mill. There are, however, many factors to consider while procuring from China because there are no standards set as yet by the plywood industry in China,” he stresses.
The pressure from buyers to reduce prices is partially to blame for this squeeze on quality, however the recession may be improving the situation.
“The manufacturing mill of the material is the most important factor to be considered before procuring plywood from China,” stresses Bhatia.
“Hundreds of plywood-producing factories had mushroomed in China in the last year; while many of those have closed due to the ongoing slowdown, the best ones remain busy, still offering consistently high quality of product,” he adds.
Whether wood needs to be treated prior to shipping to site or provided in its natural form is another matter that should be considered early in the procurement process, as this can affect delivery schedules.
“Treatment for wood in general will depend on the application or end use,” explains Elabd. “Various treatment exist such as anti-stain treatment (Sinesto B) and kiln drying,” he adds. Once kiln dried, timber will be stable and should not shrink or be susceptible to stains.
Growing trends
In addition to the strength and quality issues affecting the choice of wood products used in construction, the recent emphasis on sustainable building is also beginning to have an impact on this sector. Making the right choice can help firms aiming to gain green certifications for their projects.
“Wood is the world’s most abundant renewable resource. It’s recyclable, biodegradable and sustainable over the long-term,” stresses Elabd. Looking out for TEFC or FSC worldwide recognised sustainability certification will become the norm in the future predicts de Rozario.
“It is not so strictly enforced here to request sustainable sources as of now, but in the near future we expect that the government will levy such laws,” Elabd states.
Hardwoods are generally sourced from places such as north America, indonesia and africa and shipped to gcc countries to be used as formwork material or interior decoration.
