Once pioneered, some materials revolutionize construction and architectural production. Both Steel and reinforced concrete highlighted by industrialization became the two materials most associated with modernity. Steel was touted as strong, durable and easy to put together, while reinforced concrete provided fire-proofed edifices for densely populated cities. Modernity in architecture relegated timber to small scale building embodied by stick platform framing. Glue laminated timber, an equally modern material, made it possible to attain large spans and was largely used but has only recently been as disruptive as steel and concrete; Current climate change imperatives and regulating carbon footprint are driving its developments and use in building structures.
Cross laminated timber in particular, a variant of glue laminated timber, a type of «hyper plywood» of compressed, layered, weaved and bonded pieces is offering an alternative to concrete construction. Its weight can be a third that of reinforced concrete. The CLT panels are produced as made to stock sheets, or engineered to order pieces that are cut in the factory to include openings for windows, doors, ducts or any other required openings. Once the pieces are numerically cut (2-3mm precision), they are loaded in sequence and delivered to sites. They are assembled much-like a bolted precast concrete panel system would be. Dry joinery also makes these systems as easy to dismantle as they are to assemble.
A warehouse built in British Columbia, Canada in 2020, designed by Studio 531 Architects displays how straightforward this formidable building material is to work with. Once the slab on grade was cast and cured, vertical 25-foot panels were lifted to form the structure’s perimeter. The bearing wall panels function like tilt-up concrete panel systems and were considered a viable eco-friendly alternative by constructor Citta Group. The 5 ply panels were simply bolted together with cross glulam beams to carry conventional roof trusses in an efficient wall / post and beam / truss building system. Supplied by now defunct Katerra, the building took only two weeks to erect. Saving time along with sequestering Carbon are the main advantages of this efficient building material that is rapidly gaining ground on conventional building systems.
Interior view of the simple to assemble timber kit (panels, post and beam, trusses)
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