Prefabrication experiments - 337 - Urban mass timber

 

Modular volumetric construction has had inconstant success in the history of prefabrication. Delivering, stacking and setting factory made dimensionally coordinated boxes is in theory a practical idea; building in a controlled environment with specifically regulated production methods concurrently to onsite work has the potential to substantially reduce construction time. Modular volumetric construction has been attempted with concrete, light gauge steel frames, light timber, panelized steel composites and even in glass-reinforced plastics. Every generation and their material lobbyists discover the potentials of mass producing inhabitable containers and piling them to make buildings. Relatively recently another material has entered the modular volumetric market: Mass timber, specifically cross-laminated timber is being used to create streamlined boxes assembled from large sheets of this «hyper plywood material». Panels are produced by pressing, gluing and laminating timber stock in perpendicular fibre patterns to create a composite engineered timber that is stronger than cut timber and comes in large formats not habitually associated with timber structures. 

 

Urban mass timber, a Swiss start-up (2018) was founded to direct the potential of The Swiss Künzli Timber Construction Corporation toward the deployment of their CLT in the modular volumetric sector. The company leverages mass timber as an ecological and carbon responsible way to construct buildings to respond to globalized urbanization and increasing demand for affordable and quickly built dwellings. The mass timber boxes are assembled and then stacked according to predetermined patterns. CLT tall wood building is straightforward usually using a slab and wall framework. Openings for windows and doors or mechanical systems can be numerically cut before assembly. Modular CLT uses the same basic principles but staking box units doubles floor slabs and wall panels. This redundancy is associated with modular volumetric construction, not specific to mass timber and offers potentially greater sound and fire protection. The boxes are dimensioned to comply with transport regulations and work best when juxtaposed and aligned for transmitting gravity loads in the most vertical fashion. This type of system is not proprietary to one company and most CLT producers have the potential to create made to order boxes form their CLT stock panels.

CLT modular volumetric unit