Wood+&+Glass

Wood structures are built to stand rain fall, earthquakes, severe winds and extreme clime changes, so they have proved they are strong, durable and efficient over hundreds of years. The demand of wood structures is growing rapidly around the world. Wood homes and buildings are safe, reliable and deliver superior durability against the forces of nature. Scientific studies of earthquakes over the last 40 years demonstrate the superior safety of wood frame buildings. Wood structures best resist severe shakings, producing the lowest risk of human injury and structural damage. Wood is flexible, so it is more capable of absorbing and dissipating external forces. While termites are a problem for all types of constructions, current building practices and ongoing research in the wood treatment have virtually eliminated the risk termites posed on wood as a building product. Wood structures are engineered to provide the same level of safety, to the threat of fire, as concrete and steel. Glass

** The use of glass in architecture and urban planning in Caracas ** In Caracas Glass is used in architecture in great buildings like Parque Cristal, where all the facades are made of it, but it is important to know that any of these glass panels are windows. Glass isn’t as appropriate for tropical climes as for cooler climes**,** because common glass doesn’t transmit ultraviolet radiation, although it does transmit infrared radiation, and that is why it is always hot behind a glass, in hot climes this is a problem. Caracas’ buildings like the Cubo Negro, needs too much energy to be cooled so it would be more appropriate if it were made out of wood which is a more ecological material and it doesn’t need as much energy to create a comfortable environment inside of it. I think glass is not as useful in urban planning as it is in architecture, because it is a very fragile material, but it can be used in a reduced way in plazas.

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