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Building houses out of wood isn't necessarily a bad thing. It may be a bad thing in Florida due to termites and the fact that reinforced concrete can better res

Building houses out of wood isn't necessarily a bad thing. It may be a bad thing in Florida due to termites and the fact that reinforced concrete can better resist hurricane force winds, but in California it's a good thing because wood can flex in a potential earthquake.

deleted 3y ago
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fragmede 3y ago
We have civil engineers making skyscrapers that can withstand earthquakes made out of steel and concrete and mass dampers. Wood can flex in a potential earthquake, that's true, they used that in Japan centuries ago, but we've got better materials and technology today. We build houses out of wood because it's cheap, not because it's any good. Noise travels through wood way too well and that makes urban living a nightmare. As we try to cram more people together, we need to build things out of materials that are better so that you can't hear your neighbors coughing at night through your shared wall.
- shiroiushi 3y ago
  >Wood can flex in a potential earthquake, that's true, they used that in Japan centuries ago, but we've got better materials and technology today. We build houses out of wood because it's cheap, not because it's any good. Here in Japan, houses are made out of wood, despite what you may have heard. They're not made of "better materials", though I'm quite sure they're constructed much better than stick-built houses in the US. Homes are only made of concrete and steel when they're larger, multi-unit buildings; the 3-floor single-family homes are all wood. For smaller structures, it's a great material; that's why temples and shrines built centuries ago are still standing today despite all the earthquakes. The main problem are just termites and fire, but fire is a problem with steel and concrete structures too. >Noise travels through wood way too well and that makes urban living a nightmare. Not a problem in a single-family home. And the thing that makes noise a problem is a lack of insulation between units, not the framing material.
  - fragmede 3y ago
    people in single-family homes are still quite sensitive to gasoline powered leaf blowers starting at 7am, motorcycles with straight pipes, and cars with ridiculous sound systems, though those may be more of a problem with US culture than in Japan. Fair point that you can just use more insulation, but the problem is, again, cost, so it doesn't happen unless it has to, eg Minnesota winters, but that's for temperature. Sound reduction is a nice benefit and not why they're spending the money.
    - shiroiushi 3y ago
      >people in single-family homes are still quite sensitive to gasoline powered leaf blowers starting at 7am, motorcycles with straight pipes, and cars with ridiculous sound systems, though those may be more of a problem with US culture than in Japan. Those things aren't problems in Japan, those are problems with US culture. One big reason I moved to Japan was so I didn't have to be a multi-millionaire to get away from those things and many other similar problems with US culture. Anyway, the point is that your prior post incorrectly implied that Japan does not have wood houses, which cannot be farther from the truth. Almost all the single-family homes here are wood.
      - fragmede 3y ago
        Ah. Not sure how you read that I said that there were no wood houses in Japan, but thanks for the correction :)
        shiroiushi 3y ago
        >Wood can flex in a potential earthquake, that's true, they used that in Japan centuries ago, but we've got better materials and technology today. This line seems to imply that modern, new houses in Japan are not made of wood any more. They are. In fact, wood is being used for more and larger stuff, both in Japan and in other countries, because it's flexible and more eco-friendly than steel and concrete. Of course, wood has its weaknesses (like termites) that have to be dealt with using proper engineering practices, but so does reinforced concrete, as seen in the big condo collapse in Miami not that long ago. That said, 10+ story buildings are probably still going to be made of reinforced concrete for the foreseeable future, and Japan has far better construction and maintenance standards than the US for tall buildings, which is why seaside buildings don't randomly collapse here, despite the frequent earthquakes.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

fragmede 3y ago

We have civil engineers making skyscrapers that can withstand earthquakes made out of steel and concrete and mass dampers. Wood can flex in a potential earthquake, that's true, they used that in Japan centuries ago, but we've got better materials and technology today. We build houses out of wood because it's cheap, not because it's any good. Noise travels through wood way too well and that makes urban living a nightmare. As we try to cram more people together, we need to build things out of materials that are better so that you can't hear your neighbors coughing at night through your shared wall.

shiroiushi 3y ago
>Wood can flex in a potential earthquake, that's true, they used that in Japan centuries ago, but we've got better materials and technology today. We build houses out of wood because it's cheap, not because it's any good. Here in Japan, houses are made out of wood, despite what you may have heard. They're not made of "better materials", though I'm quite sure they're constructed much better than stick-built houses in the US. Homes are only made of concrete and steel when they're larger, multi-unit buildings; the 3-floor single-family homes are all wood. For smaller structures, it's a great material; that's why temples and shrines built centuries ago are still standing today despite all the earthquakes. The main problem are just termites and fire, but fire is a problem with steel and concrete structures too. >Noise travels through wood way too well and that makes urban living a nightmare. Not a problem in a single-family home. And the thing that makes noise a problem is a lack of insulation between units, not the framing material.
- fragmede 3y ago
  people in single-family homes are still quite sensitive to gasoline powered leaf blowers starting at 7am, motorcycles with straight pipes, and cars with ridiculous sound systems, though those may be more of a problem with US culture than in Japan. Fair point that you can just use more insulation, but the problem is, again, cost, so it doesn't happen unless it has to, eg Minnesota winters, but that's for temperature. Sound reduction is a nice benefit and not why they're spending the money.
  - shiroiushi 3y ago
    >people in single-family homes are still quite sensitive to gasoline powered leaf blowers starting at 7am, motorcycles with straight pipes, and cars with ridiculous sound systems, though those may be more of a problem with US culture than in Japan. Those things aren't problems in Japan, those are problems with US culture. One big reason I moved to Japan was so I didn't have to be a multi-millionaire to get away from those things and many other similar problems with US culture. Anyway, the point is that your prior post incorrectly implied that Japan does not have wood houses, which cannot be farther from the truth. Almost all the single-family homes here are wood.
    - fragmede 3y ago
      Ah. Not sure how you read that I said that there were no wood houses in Japan, but thanks for the correction :)
      - shiroiushi 3y ago
        >Wood can flex in a potential earthquake, that's true, they used that in Japan centuries ago, but we've got better materials and technology today. This line seems to imply that modern, new houses in Japan are not made of wood any more. They are. In fact, wood is being used for more and larger stuff, both in Japan and in other countries, because it's flexible and more eco-friendly than steel and concrete. Of course, wood has its weaknesses (like termites) that have to be dealt with using proper engineering practices, but so does reinforced concrete, as seen in the big condo collapse in Miami not that long ago. That said, 10+ story buildings are probably still going to be made of reinforced concrete for the foreseeable future, and Japan has far better construction and maintenance standards than the US for tall buildings, which is why seaside buildings don't randomly collapse here, despite the frequent earthquakes.