Survey of important North American woods, as an introduction to the conservation of timber by improved utilization, and as related to critical topics ranging from forest management to wood identification to affordable housing, wood decay, and paper recycling. Primary discussions involve technical issues, dealing with building methods and materials used to save energy. Political, economical and environmental issues are inextricably connected to conservation, and will factor heavily on classroom dialogue. Building Materials Computing and Telecommunications Hands-on experience with the Internet and PCs. Decisionmaking skills are developed using information age technologies to solve building materials problems.
Theory is combined with hands-on practice using a variety of applications.
Basic techniques for physical measurement and mechanical testing. Introduction to scientific investigation, including design of experiments, data collection, and analysis. Lecture and Lab. Focus on performance, available options, cost, and market acceptance of wood and non-wood building materials. Close attention paid to the sequence of events that occur on most construction sites.