Home ›› Compare Materials ›› Floor Structure

Superstructure (B10): Floor Structure

Materials

Compare Wood: Glu-lam beams, joists
Issues
Floor structure varies widely based on requirements for square footage, building heights and clear spans, loadings, and material availability. Floor structure also contributes to the overall strength of the building system. Noise and vibration transmission can affect human and equipment performance, and the overall environmental impacts associated with floor structure components are related to requirements for durability and flexibility within flooring structure design. Residential construction relies heavily on wood products, which may or may not depend on engineered wood products or products provided from sustainable sources. Engineered wood products generally improve material resource impacts by reducing needs for virgin or prime materials, but may increase negative impacts associated with binders, resins, and finishing materials required for their production. Third party certification of material sourcing and production techniques can reduce environmental impacts associated with growing and harvesting wood fibers as well as improve social and community aspects related to local harvesting, production and manufacturer of finished products.

Concrete and steel, when used for floor structures. can provide durability, improved strength and increased flexibility in response to programming and design parameters. Environmental impacts associated with higher embodied energy and more negative effects associated with air and water pollution are direct results of using steel or concrete. However, they are the materials of choice for certain types of construction and improved product design (precast, steel beams and trusses, etc.) can reduce those impacts through better material resource management.