{"id":71303,"date":"2020-02-06T08:30:42","date_gmt":"2020-02-06T08:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=71303"},"modified":"2020-02-06T08:30:44","modified_gmt":"2020-02-06T08:30:44","slug":"engineered-timber-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/mmc-news\/engineered-timber-innovation\/71303\/","title":{"rendered":"How engineered timber solutions are driving innovation in building"},"content":{"rendered":"

Structural timber technology is seriously reducing carbon emissions and the sector is witnessing unprecedented demand for sustainable advanced offsite manufactured solutions. Andrew Carpenter from the Structural Timber Association<\/a> discusses the benefits of engineered timber solutions<\/h2>\n

We define engineered timber or solid wood, as it is also known, as heavy structural timber elements made up by bonding timber lamellas together to form units with known structural characteristics.<\/p>\n

There are two main structural solutions \u2013 cross laminated timber<\/a> (CLT), formed by gluing lamellas into a wide and long panel, and glued laminated timber (GLT), formed by gluing lamellas on top of each other to form a beam. Here we explore the benefits of cross laminated timber.<\/p>\n

Cross laminated timber<\/h3>\n

Cross laminated timber is a structural two-way spanning timber panel that can be used to form walls, roof and floor panels, as well as shear walls. Cross laminated timber panels are available in Spruce, Douglas Fir and Larch and can be supplied as FSC\u00ae and PEFC certified.<\/p>\n

It is produced by laminating and finger jointing soft wood timber lamellas at 90\u00b0 to the layer below. This can encompass between three and seven layers. The structural benefits of cross laminated include its large bi-axial and flexural loadbearing capacity when used as a wall or slab, together with its superior acoustic and performance properties. Cross laminated timber is five times lighter than concrete and also distributes concentrated loads as line loads at foundation level, which reduces the requirement for localised pad foundations.<\/p>\n

In addition to excellent sustainability credentials, good thermal insulation performance and sound insulation properties \u2013 it is speed of construction where cross laminated timber is in a class of its own. Cross laminated timber, as a rapid, robust and reliable offsite manufactured<\/a> solution, delivers many benefits during the construction process and beyond. From reducing loading on foundations through to impressive thermal, acoustic and airtightness performance \u2013 cross laminated timber construction enhances projects across all sectors.<\/p>\n

Being manufactured to exceptional levels of accuracy in factory-controlled conditions ensures minimal defects and improves construction and project delivery time, reducing costs and maximising efficiency on all levels \u2013 providing cost and programme certainty.<\/p>\n

However, the benefits do not end after the construction phase. Due to the enhanced performance values and robust nature of cross laminated timber, the ongoing lifecycle costs of the building is vastly reduced through less maintenance requirements and lower energy consumption.<\/p>\n

Benefits to construction processes \"Engineered<\/a><\/h3>\n

Using cross laminated timber for prefabricated wall and floor panels offers many advantages including:<\/p>\n