Could wood become a viable material for skyscrapers in the future?

We sincerely hope so: laminated lumber, it’s your time! Why laminated lumber, its benefits and real examples in our post.

It is beam is a strong, durable, easy-to-build material. Several buildings in Australia a clear proof of that.

International House in Sydney proves the environmental potential of CLT. The building consists of 6 above-ground floors, built entirely from engineered or glulam beams and 3,500 cubic meters of sustainably grown and recycled wood used in the construction.

If the building was constructed of concrete (as originally considered in the design of the building), International House would not have avoided producing thousands of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere!

Canada’s Brock Commons Tallwood House provides convincing proof: its structure was erected at an impressive rate of two stories per week, about four months faster than conventional construction methods. This project used 22,000 tons of wood, which Canadian and American forests can quickly replenish, CLT products are renewability.

The main benefits of CLT:

• Zero shrinkage.
• External finishing can be any (even with the use of a curtain wall).
• Excellent load-bearing capacity (up to 10 floors without additional materials)
• High resistance to open fire (burning rate of 0.8 mm per minute).
• Possibility to choose, what kind of wood will be used for the outer layer of the panel, for the finish. Low weight, so a light foundation, is sufficient for buildings built with laminated wood panels.
• High speed of both construction and finishing of the building because the boards are manufactured in the factory and do not require plastering afterwards.
• Seismic stability. The houses built with this technology can withstand seismic shocks of 7-8 points virtually without damage.