Evaluation of Environmental Effects of Timber and Reinforced Concrete Structures

The construction sector has an important share in terms of carbon emissions. A very intense carbon emission occurs in the process from the production of building materials to their use. For this reason, it is of great importance to conduct studies on the construction sector in the context of climate change and to make developments in this regard. In this study, it is aimed to present solution suggestions to prevent environmental problems by comparing timber structures with reinforced concrete structures within the scope of combating climate change. Within the scope of the study, to obtain more reliable data, two scenarios were considered where three different heights (one-story, five-story and twelve-story) buildings were built with exactly the same features, with timber and reinforced concrete structural systems, and the material consumptions under these conditions were analysed. Thus, the environmental effects of the materials in question were compared with their carbon emissions. In addition, the effects of on-site traffic and transportation in constructions to be made with two different structural systems were proportionally considered and consistent results were obtained. The findings reveal that there is a reduction in carbon emissions between 42.1% and 55.1% in timber structural systems at different heights in structures with identical features. This result shows that how important the use of timber structures is in the fight against climate change.