
Esrefoglu Mosque
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It is possible to build an entire house, using wood only. None of the materials used in constructions offer such versatility. According to current researches, around 40 % of people in Germany and 80 % of people in Scandinavia prefer wood as residential building material. The share of wood as an architectural material achieved an important increase between the years of 1991 and 2002 in Germany.
Wood is healthy: Wood does not attract dust. It acts as a regulator, absorbing and emitting the humidity in the space it exists. It provides heat insulation higher than its alternatives thanks to its cells filled with air, preventing heat transfer. Heat conductivity of wood is typically as low as 0, 13 W/mK. Therefore, wood is used in making handles of mechanical components, decorations of ceilings and walls. The heating ratio of wood is fairly high. This means that it requires much energy for increasing and reducing the temperature of a wooden material. Wood needs as twice heat energy than stones and concretes. Likewise, it needs three-times more heat energy than that is used for heating and cooling steel.
Wood is economical. The life span of wood as a construction material, is commonly projected as 80 years, with a lot of wooden buildings dating from middle ages showing that this duration may well be past. The prejudice that wood needs frequent care is a reminiscent of those times that people thought it necessary to cover wood surfaces with impermeable films of paint.
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Average life-span of the tree species commonly used in architecture is shown below:
| Hardwood Species |
In air |
In freshwater |
In contact with soil |
Isolated from soil |
In open air |
Sheltered |
Long-lasting wide Leaves
Oak , Chesnut , Elm , Acacia, Hornbeam |
8 -12 years |
60 -120 years |
+ 200 years |
+ 500 years |
Long -lasting conifers
Black Pine
Other Pines |
+12 years
8-12 years |
50 -100 years
40 - 90 years |
+150 years |
+ 500 years |
Short Lasting Wide Leaves
Ash, Beech, Poplar, Tilia |
4-6 years
- 4 years |
20 - 60 years
+ 30 years |
+ 100 years
+ 50 years |
50 - 100 years
- 50 years |
Short Lasting Conifers
Fır, Spruce
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+ 4 years |
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+ 50 years |
- 50 years |
Source: Reha GUNAY Traditional timberworks and solutions 2002, İstanbul
Wood has unique technical properties. Materials expand with heat. Expansion causes decrease in strength of materials. Since steel is inorganic and non flammable, it is resistant to combustion. However, when it is used in buildings, it expands and collapses as a result of increase in temperature. Wood almost never expands with temperature. On the contrary, it dries and gains strength with the effect of heat.
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