Energy efficiency in residential buildings using nano-wood composite materials

Abstract

Wood is one of the conventional building materials in the world, due to its availability and sustainability in nature. The electric and thermal conductivity of wood have made it exceptional among the other conventional construction materials. Nevertheless, wood has deficiencies such as deterioration as a result of fungal and insect attack, vulnerability to fire and dimensional variability to water absorption. Nanotechnology has been in use in other scientific and technological fields for long period of time, but it is still fresh to some extent in architecture. When nanotechnology is applied to the conventional wood, a nono-wood composite will be produce with enhanced properties such as mechanical strength, fire resistance, durability, water immersion. This paper is aimed at examining how wood as a conventional building material can be enhanced using nanotechnology. It further consıders the conservation of energy in residential buildings through the building integrated nano-wood technology.