Engineered timber, glue laminated and cross-laminated timber is propelling
a resurgence in wood construction methods particularly in midrise collective
and public housing. Considered for too long as a handicap, timbers’ performance
specifically in terms of fire resistance is now being reconsidered and timber
hybrids are being put forward in many buildings as an equivalent to reinforced
concrete. Post and beam or wall and panel systems are comparable to slab
buildings designed with spans of seven to nine meters. Patch 22, erected in Amsterdam, is a remarkable collective housing
block showcasing this new potential for engineered timber for posts, beams,
walls and trusses. The design also demonstrates timbers’ agility in matters of
floor heights, spans and lean construction based on pre-cut components.
Designed by the principal partner of principal of Frantzen and associates, an Eindoven
graduate, Tom Frantzen, the
proposal is suggestive of open building theory exploring planning flexibility,
time adaptability and user personalization.
The architects and city planners formulated a mixed-use zoning ordinance
to allow commercial as well as residential use in the same floor area. An apartment
loft space could evolve over time in order to adapt to changing lifestyle, inhabitants
or a different function. The planning flexibility and agility is articulated to
the building’s rational use of timber, a generic floor plan, four-meter floor-to-floor
heights and a hollow service floor. The void between the flooring and the
structural floor panels generates a potential unrestricted distribution and conversion
of mechanical systems, without disturbing adjacent or stacked units.
The building’s timber framework is constructed with glue-laminated posts
and beams and cross-laminated «hyperplywood»
floor panels. The timber members are oversized to reach a three-hour fire
rating. This overdesign of structural members is established on a burn-time-thickness
ratio. When wood is charred it slows the oxygenation process, which decelerates
the fire's progression. The burn time ratio is then converted into member
thickness. Along with the obvious advantages of timber construction (beauty, carbon
sequestration, renewable resource) the architects used both surface and
filigree construction to express timber’s prefabrication heritage. The building
also incorporates many other sustainable building technologies from rainwater
harvesting to solar roof panels.
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| Patch22 - Amsterdam - section and axonometric views |
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