18
OPALIA, PARIS
One of the main barriers to building in wood is that people generally say it will be 30 per cent more expensive, and we wanted to prove that it wouldn’t be
Steven Ware
thing together. In wood it would have been a colossal size and more costly.” Elsewhere, the building is all-concrete below ground and features a concrete lift core. As another measure to counter the transmission of traffic noise from both outside the facade and between floors, a raised and carpet-covered technical floor will be installed on every level. While carpet will conceal the timber beneath office workers’ feet, around 60 per cent of the ceilings will be exposed CLT timber. Says Steven Ware: “We will use varnish with a little white paint in it to even over the finish because it is an industrial- grade timber that’s quite knotty and rough. The layer of varnish will protect it while giving a lighter and uniform look. The finish will also assist natural light levels.” The building’s roofs are very definitely
CLT, which brought another challenge with the three areas covered with plants. Contact
between wood and substrate poses a rot problem, says Ware. “We came up with a raised level, onto which the substrate and plants will sit and which is independent from the main structural element – and then you ventilate the gap between.”
Understanding hazard
Steven believes cities have taken time to wake up to the potential of modern engi- neered timber like CLT because its qualities haven't been well known until recently. Test and studies worldwide have helped to erode traditional misgivings. He says: “Take protection against fire, for example. Most people now accept the concept of what's called the sacrificial char layer, which means that after some burning the charred layer becomes a protective layer protecting the wood below – so the fire goes out.” Ware adds: "If timber does fail, firefighters, who after all are the ones who
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ADF OCTOBER 2016
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