In recent years we have been able to observe a revival of interest in newly built family and recreational buildings constructed using timber construction technology. In a number of cases, these constructions are particularly recommended from the environmental and economic perspective, and from the perspective of the quality of the inside environment and other associated aspects. A frequent argument in their favour is also the reference to the rich tradition of timber structures in the Czech and Moravian lands. This paper reflects on the continuation of contemporary timber structures from the tradition of historical structures.

The use of wood in residential construction is well suited to the current demands for the functionality and financial accessibility of housing and the sustainability of construction from the perspective of the exhaustibility of sources of raw materials.

Current trends in the use of wood for residential construction primarily include:

• ready-built family homes
• low-rise tenement buildings
• light loft superstructures

The possibilities for more widespread use of wood in construction in the Czech Republic is primarily connected with overcoming the popular conception of wood as a material suitable only for temporary structures. The best evidence of the longevity of wood is the traditional architecture of Scandinavia or South-East Asia.
Conversely, few people ever seem to take notice of the natural erosion that occurs in burnt and cement materials. It is generally known that since 1991 there has been a serious reduction in residential construction in the Czech Republic, and the completed construction of new units is unable to keep pace with the annual loss. Wood buildings could represent a significant contribution to addressing this shortage. In the Czech Republic several hundred ready-built wooden family homes are produced annuallz, but they are able to find use primarily only in Austria and Germany. One interesting point is that the annual lumber production in the Czech Republic and the USA is approximately equal. However, in the USA wood buildings represent approximately 65% of residential construction, while in the Czech Republic the figure is less than 1%.

Among European states, the Czech Republic occupies the twelfth position with regard to forest density; in terms of wood supply per hectare it is in fourth place, and in terms of annual growth per hectare it is in sixth place.

The article looks at the roofs and the roof truss of the cloister in the Church of St. Jan Nepomucký at Zelená Hora in Žďár nad Sázavou, which was repaired at the end of the 1990s. The first sections deals with the roofs over the halls of the cloister and the entrances, which have been preserved to date in a state not too distant from their original appearance. The next part of the article, continued in the next issue, will be devoted to the more complex problem of the chapel, the appearance of which was substantially altered after a fire at the end of the 18th century.