Nature's Technology

SUSTAINABLE BUILDING: “is the use of design and construction methods and materials that are resource efficient and that will not compromise the health of the environment or associated health and well-being of the building’s occupants, builders, the general public, or future generations.”1

Using Nature’s Technology, Euclid Timber Frames has developed a unique sustainable building system. The system uses no chemicals or adhesives! It has been shown to improve the health and well being of the building’s occupants while improving the environment both in the long and short term. 

Throughout the typical construction process we enclose ourselves with a host of hazardous chemicals that have been linked to diseases affecting almost half of the US population. Most people are unaware that there is a healthy 100% chemical free alternative.

As much as 90% of our time is spent indoors at home or in an office.  Concentrations of pollutants are typically 2 to 5 times greater indoors than those found in outdoor air.  During certain activities, indoor pollutant levels may reach 1000 times that of outside air.  Many manufactured products used in construction today emit toxins that are known to be carcinogenic (cancerous) to humans and animals.  Some 80,000 chemicals are approved for manufacturing. A host of  VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) like formaldehyde, acetone, methane, benzene and methylene chloride are used to produce products like plywood, OSB, particle board, I-joists, glu-lams, MDF, drywall, fiberglass insulation, foam insulation, caulk, sealants, vinyl flooring, carpets and linoleums.2  It is ironic that we use these products to build our “shelters”.

Euclid Timber Frames, in cooperation with the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, and the University of Idaho, has developed a completely sustainable wall, floor, and roof system. This is the only system using local standing dead material and assembled without using any adhesives or chemicals.

Euclid’s ICLT building system is the healthy, sustainable, chemical-free, construction alternative.  For a comparable price it is possible to have a chemical free house using locally sourced material that is 10 times stronger than a conventional structure.  An ICLT that is a VOC free “shelter” will protect its occupants and improve the quality of your life, while at the same time improving our environment and reducing the carbon footprint.

The massive wood panels not only require a fraction of the energy to produce, but studies show savings of more than 50% of the on going energy costs compared with similar construction methods.

Protecting Our Forests:

There is an epidemic in our area that is ten times worse than ever before recorded.  The epidemic shows no signs of being brought under control or slowing.  In Utah it has increased 1500% in the last decade.  The epidemic reaches from South Dakota to the Pacific Ocean and from Mexico to Alaska.  Its effects are far reaching and can have serious consequences for us all.

The Forest Service has declared the attack of the Western Bark Beetles an epidemic. Western Bark Beetles made up of about 12 different species; attack not only Pine, but Spruce and Douglas fir as well.  In 2008 beetles caused tree mortality on nearly 8 million acres.  The standing dead trees increase wildfire hazards and threaten key watersheds.  They not only reduce the aesthetic value of our forests but also impair the timber values.

 According to the Forest Service the # 1 step to protecting our forests is to remove the infected trees.  We can do nothing, let the wood decompose or potentially fuel a wildfire or we can be proactive by removing the standing dead, paving the way for new growth as recommended.  Replanting new seedlings to replace the harvested dead trees will help us maintain a sustainable forest and ecosystem.

1  sdg-nottinghamshire.org.uk
2  wikipedia.com