Zonda - Resource Library

Wood, in its natural state, is a highly sustainable material. But there are many factors that can either diminish or improve its sustainability, including how and where it’s harvested, how end products are treated and finished, and the lifecycle of the material.

This course will explore the sustainability of wood wall and ceiling systems, and considerations for specifying wood products that are sustainably sourced. We will cover different manufacturing and treatment processes, and environmental factors affecting wood, its lifecycle, reuse, and salvageability. We will also discuss applications for wood ceilings and walls, certifications available for projects specifying these materials, and insight into the world of sustainable wood systems.

Consumers are increasingly interested in understanding the environmental impact of the products they use. This course will help you understand how the choice of building materials can have profound impacts on local and global ecosystems, as well as on consumer preferences. “Green building” practices have expanded beyond operational energy efficiency to include factors such as minimizing the embodied carbon impact of a built structure along the supply chain.

As a result, wood’s role as a sustainable building material has become increasingly important. Compared to nonrenewable materials such as steel and concrete, wood is renewable and stores carbon throughout the lifetime of the material. Wood also uses less fossil fuel than substitutable materials (e.g., steel and concrete) across the supply chain, from harvest to manufacturing, transport, installation, maintenance, and disposal or recycling. Procurement of wood building materials from sustainably managed forests creates a sustainably built environment and also supports forest biodiversity, soil and water health, wildlife habitat, social and economic goals, etc.

This course will demonstrate how using wood as a building material contributes to forest sustainability, especially in the context of climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Resilience is a key component of building design when addressing both seismic and wind design. Properly designed and constructed wood structures that comply with building code requirements are resilient, performing with minimal damage while protecting occupants during both seismic and high wind events.

This course will look at how wood-frame Lateral Force Resisting Systems (LFRS), that resist wind and seismic loads, can contribute to resistance in the built environment.

The role of the construction industry in combating climate change is a relatively new consideration, but one that is gaining prominence on sustainability agendas at a global scale. Individual home owners, contractors, and developers each have a role to play in reducing carbon emissions at the residential scale. Here are five project examples that illustrate how you can build single-family housing sustainably, with style.

Two years into the pandemic, homeowners are looking to return to their roots. For home design trends, that means a pivot to warmer living spaces accented with wood tones that help residents relax and reconnect with nature, especially as families continue to spend time indoors. Continue reading for ways to keep your clients’ homes current while leaning on wood’s restorative nature to give them the calm and peace they’re seeking today.

Americans are increasingly turning to professional builders and remodelers for their home renovation projects. But homeowners looking to increase the value of their residences need to be strategic in their upgrades. For builders and remodelers, that means the opportunity is now back on the table to offer homeowners cost-effective and stunning ways to improve the value of their homes, while employing one of the most versatile and easy-to-work with building materials available: wood.

Renovating for long-term ROI can be a balancing act. For homeowners, it’s important that renovations offer immediate benefits while also standing the test of time, both functionally and aesthetically. The key to timeless renovation is functional design rooted in tradition. One of the oldest and most renewable building materials—wood—is sustainable, stylish, and classic.

Lumber supply and demand has taken home builders on a ride throughout the last year and a half with wild swings in pricing.

To understand where lumber prices will go from here, and what builders can do to adjust to ongoing market volatility, industry experts from building material leader 84 Lumber and commodities tracker Fastmarkets unpack the specifics of what caused the whipsawing in the market over the last 18 months - and provide clues for what may lie ahead.

Read about various multifamily construction projects where the use of wood was critical to the success of the building. New design, manufacturing, and construction techniques - coupled with evolutions in building codes - allows light-frame wood and mass timber buildings to reach higher heights and densities. New wood construction also achieves superior design aesthetics and fire safety characteristics in residential buildings.

There’s a shortage of labor in the lumber and building materials (LBM) industry. If you’re an LBM dealer or distributor not affected by the labor shortage, chances are your customers—or your peers—are. It has created opportunities for businesses to find creative ways to do more with less. Technology is proving to be a valuable asset, and is helping dealers and distributors position themselves as the manufacturers and suppliers of choice for their customers. In this eBook see how this labor shortage came about and look at the impact it’s had on the industry.