Boardwalk

In normal wall applications, boarding usually refers to the practice of covering a surface with timber boards, usually strips laid horizontally. A ‘boardwalk’ however is a raised pathway, most often made of timber boards or planks, that are parallel to each other and laid to create a continuous and convenient surface for people to walk on. The boards can be laid either across or parallel to the direction of movement, or arranged diagonally.

A boardwalk can be an elevated structure e.g a wood framework or steel structure onto which the boards are laid (e.g. seaside piers usually have boardwalks) or they may be a simpler arrangement such as the boards laid directly onto a flat surface such as sand.

In most cases, a boardwalk is for convenience and provides people with a route across what would otherwise be a more difficult or inconvenient surface e.g wet or soggy land. Boardwalks can therefore be thought of as low-level bridges.

Another type of boardwalk is a duckboard, which is arranged in a similar way but is mainly used over muddy or wet ground.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki

• Cross-laminated timber.
• Easements.
• Engineered bamboo.
• Glulam.
• Hardwood.
• Legally harvested and traded timber.
• Lime wood.
• Modified wood.
• Nails - a brief history.
• Permissive path.
• Physical Properties of Wood.
• Right of way.