Browsing by Subject "wood-frame construction"

Architects are one of the most significant construction project stakeholders. They are involved in the decision-making process, including the selection of construction materials. This means that architects can promote the application of new innovative engineered wood products (EWP) in the construction of buildings. Although EWPs are becoming more popular as a construction material, there is still extra capacity for their usage in the multi-storey construction as well. In 2017, Russian public authorities approved an important initiative to allow the construction of higher than three-storeyed wood buildings. Thus, it is interesting, whether Russian architects are ready for applying EWPs in their architectural design projects. In this study, a web-based questionnaire was used for assessing the perceptions and the level of awareness of EWPs among randomly chosen architects working mainly in Saint-Petersburg and Moscow (n=25). The data was analysed by employing the two-tailed Mann-Whitney U Test and SWOT and descriptive analysis. The results indicate that most of the respondents know EWPs rather well and apply them in their work. Most of the respondents stated that the use of EWPs in Russia has increased in the last five years. The attitude towards applying EWPs in construction is also positive. From the architects’ perspective, the most important characteristics of the materials are environmental friendliness and absence of harmful effects on health. Nevertheless, a lack of the educational programs about wood-based composite materials gives birth to the prejudice about the properties of such products and slows the progress of the development of the timber construction sector. Although this study shows a positive attitude towards EWPs, it is not enough for describing the whole situation in the Russian wood construction market, and it is reasonable to conduct further studies of attitudes not only among architects but also among other stakeholders of construction projects.