33 Oriented towards design
Stuart Devoil of Smartply explains how the humble sheet of OSB has become a design solution as engineered timber panels are being used across the building sector, from the construction of energy efficient and low carbon homes to site hoardings and everything in between
eople often misunderstand engineered boards such as OSB (Oriented Strand Board), and don’t really see where the ‘engineering’ part fits in. A big hint is in the first part of the name: ‘oriented.’ Unlike plywood which is built up from thin layers of wood veneer, OSB consists of individual strands and flakes of wood. These are bonded and deliberately arranged in a three-tier structure, with the strands in the outer layers oriented in the same direction as the panel length, and those in the core layer at right angles to it. The result is a solid panel with no core gaps that will not delaminate under normal use. This structure gives OSB a great deal of strength, which means it can be used in a broad range of applications, everything from the manufacture of furniture to high performance technical solutions for construction. The flakes are specifically positioned or ‘oriented’ in terms of where they lie within the board, therefore the board is engineered. However, not all engineered boards are the same.
P New Smartply has been designed with a superior finish Sourcing sustainably
Not only must any construction board or panel be strong and fit for purpose, but it must also be manufactured from legal, sustainable raw materials. The environmental body Greenpeace has advised as follows: “Demand for tropical hardwood plywood in the UK and internationally is one of the main causes of illegal and destructive logging in the rainforests of countries such as Brazil and Indonesia. This deforestation is causing the loss of biodiversity, displacing local communities and contributing to climate change.
“The construction industry is the biggest consumer of timber in the country which is why it is vital for contractors, architects and builders to source timber from environmentally and socially responsible sources such as those certified by the Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC)”. With this in mind, it is essential to ensure that any timber panel product, be it plywood, OSB, MDF or any other timber based board is sourced, from sustainable, credible, compliant, certificated sources. In the UK, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified products are guaranteed to give you this peace of mind, however just because a product is manufactured from the right material, it doesn’t mean it is fit for your specification.
OSB evolution
There was a time when OSB was used purely for boarding up broken windows, or constructing shed roofs and floors. However, recent advances in manufacturing technologies and processes now mean that OSB is the perfect answer to numerous design challenges. Old ‘Daylight Press’ technology led to OSB often being out of tolerance, out of square and out of consideration for high quality specified applications. But modern, ‘Conti-Roll’ manufacture ensures products are flatter, straighter and within stricter tolerances than ever before. And the benefits don’t stop there; the continuous
Recent advances in manufacturing technologies and
processes now mean that OSB is the perfect answer to numerous design challenges
ADF OCTOBER 2016
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
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