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This translates to speed of construction, which can have a phenomenal impact in both reducing project costs and accelerating time to sale or revenue generation for the project. Working with mass timber also creates three-dimensional well-being benefits by creating a dust-free site, safer for the skilled carpenter erectors; requiring fewer HGV deliveries, making it quieter and less disruptive for those living and working nearby; and lowering the stress levels of people in CLT buildings (https://bit. ly/3bUCVxo), creating a sense of calm for occupants.
Of course, the greatest benefit of working with timber shouldn’t be forgotten: the environmental benefit of using a sustainably sourced product that removes and stores carbon from the atmosphere rather than emitting it.
Given mass timber’s advantages, what can we be doing to improve performance even further and to accelerate uptake? At this stage we must begin to look at the finer details. That’s why, in February 2022, Stora Enso announced a €9m investment in an automated CLT coating line at the Ybbs sawmill in Austria, allowing approximately 500,000m2 of CLT walls and floors to be coated offsite per year (https://bit. ly/3yZUyVP). This offers further benefits: Speed: In colder and wetter climates, the weather can cause unpredicted delays. With pre-coated components, delays could be avoided. Knowing that the CLT structure is protected also reduces the time spent in quality inspections before it is closed off with internal and external finishes. Quality and consistency: An automated factory line is unbeatable for quality assurance and consistency of results. With pre-coated components, contractors can be sure of consistent high quality when the product arrives on site. Furthermore, the components are fully protected from day zero, and are not at risk of exposure to the elements during transportation, handling and storage on site. Visual appeal: In many projects CLT is left exposed internally to create a natural aesthetic. In the coating line Stora Enso can apply finishes ensuring a visually consistent internal finish.
If we are to grow the international mass timber market to create healthier buildings which are built faster, we must zoom into the technological details that will underpin the success of the sector. Automated coating is one such technological advancement that can deliver significant impact on projects. ■
TIMBER BUILDINGS RETHOUGHT
These position timber as a “key component in energy efficient and sustainable approaches to building design and construction”. Arup lists the benefits of building in timber as:
• Aiding the densification of cities to meet housing demand created by mass
urbanisation. This can be achieved by adding light weight additional storeys to ‘airspace’ over existing buildings and using timber construction on ‘soft’ sites unsuited to heavier buildings.
• Helping advance use of prefabrication in building. Timber lends itself to CNC
Above: Urban densification, says Arup, is placing new demands on existing structures. The light weight of prefabricated timber construction allowed four storeys to be added to this three-storey 1960s rail storage building (from Arup’s Rethinking Timber Buildings)
Construction material choices have consequences, said Arup in its 2019 study Rethinking Timber Buildings, with the negative environmental impacts of timber shown to be less severe than those of cement and steel. “Whether optimal end-of-life scenarios
are employed or not, timber still claims a smaller carbon footprint than other major construction materials, as well as being sustainable and reusable,” the global engineering and architectural company states. “And if techniques such as anaerobic burial can be harnessed, timber could help to actively reduce the environmental impact of construction. This is something the architecture, engineering and construction industry urgently needs to address if we are to play our part in achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals and in helping build a sustainable future.” Use of timber in construction it adds is now being made more attractive by “supportive policies which are creating a positive environment for its greater adoption, including carbon pricing, life- cycle assessment and CO2
compensation”.
processes and advanced digital design, says Arup, and combining these with timber frame construction, using new laminated and fibre products combined in new ways can accelerate prefabrication’s uptake. The result; better-made buildings, built faster and cheaper. Arup concludes: “off-site pre-fabrication with timber will only play an increasing role if we are to build at the scale we need, and with the most beneficial material choices”.
• Contributing to combating climate change. Timber, says Arup not only
sequesters CO2 from the atmosphere as
it grows, it locks it in and using verified sustainable timber drives further uptake of sustainable forest management, so combating deforestation, a key contributor to climate change in its own right. So a virtuous climate circle is created.
• Providing healthier indoor environments. Use of natural materials in internal
spaces, including wood, says Arup, contributes to a comfortable indoor climate, reduces occupants’ VOC exposure and decreases their stress.
• Complementing other construction approaches. Arup describes timber as
an “adaptable component of the global construction mix”. It’s suited for use in hybrid structures and composite components in combination with concrete, steel, polymers and glass.
So, Arup sums up, “the resurgence of timber and its increasing popularity will provide more choice for the construction industry and for consumers, supporting resilience through diversity”. ■
www.ttjonline.com | July/August 2022 | TTJ
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