by Web Editor | Feb 20, 2017 | News
The long wait for Australian-made cross laminated timber (CLT) is nearly over. Xlam Australia will open its first CLT manufacturing plant in Wodonga and be producing panels for construction by the close of 2017.
The company shared its plans to build a factory in the Albury Wodonga region with Architecture & Design last year, but only now do we know that it is actually going to happen. Fairfax is reporting that the plant has the backing of local, state and federal government and will be complete by April.
The facility will produce 60,000m3 of CLT each year and at capacity production will produce enough to build a project the size of Forte Melbourne – Australia’s largest timber apartment building – each week. It will be produced from local pine, increasing demand for the plantation industry and shortening delivery time and distance.
Currently, CLT is being purchased overseas from companies like Stora Enso, Meyer Timber and Novatop. Australia’s Lendlease has opened a prefabrication plant in Sydney that manufactures CLT framework but it doesn’t create the actual CLT.
Xlam has a number of Australian projects currently underway, including a massive CLT house designed by Fitzpatrick + Partners director James Fitzpatrick.
From Architecture & Design: https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/news/australian-made-clt-from-local-plantation-forests
by Web Editor | Feb 15, 2017 | News
Veneer Technologies has announced the 2017 panel that will decide this international design competition highlighting achievement in the use of natural wood veneer products. The judges for this year are Karen Koenig, editor of Woodworking Network’s special publications and projects, including the Red Book resource guide; Stephen Latta, professor of cabinetmaking and wood technology at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, and a contributing editor for Fine Woodworking; and Mike Taylor, president and CEO of States Industries, manufacturer of hardwood plywood veneer panels.
“Our competition is unique in that we recognize the entire supply chain, from the material source to the distributor to the designer/craftsperson,” explains Veneer Tech’s Alan Hubbard, face veneer sales manager. “Our judge panel also reflects a cross section of industry experts, drawn from educators, hands-on woodworkers, trade media, and manufacturers.”
Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge entries are being accepted now through May 31, 2017. Competition categories include Architectural Woodworking, Cabinetry, Furniture, Marquetry, Specialty Products and Student Design. Entry forms are available online through www.veneertech.com. There is no entry fee. Material does not need to have been sourced through Veneer Tech to be eligible.
A cash award of $3000 will be made to the creator of the grand prize winning entry. The distributor of the veneer for the grand prize winning entry will receive $2000, and the corresponding distributor salesperson will receive $1000. Category winning entries receive $1000 each. There is also an additional $1000 award to the grand prizewinner for early entry by March 31, 2017. Awards will be announced at AWFS Las Vegas, July 19-22, 2017.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/veneer-tech-craftsman%E2%80%99s-challenge-selects-judges-2017
by Web Editor | Feb 13, 2017 | News
The new Brock Commons student residence at the University of British Columbia will be the tallest contemporary mass timber building in the world when finished this May. The term “mass timber” or “mass wood” covers an array of approaches, usually referring to a structural system combining engineered wood columns and floor slabs. In Canada, the most commonly referenced technical innovation, and one of the ones behind Brock Commons’ structure, is the cross-laminated timber (CLT) slab, available in a variety of thicknesses for different span requirements.
While Brock Commons’ height will unquestionably get the lion’s share of attention after its completion, that’s not the most interesting thing about the building for architects. Rather, it is the fact that, on typical floors, the wood is not visible.
Acton Ostry Architects principal Russell Acton, FRAIC, the lead designer of Brock Commons, has lectured widely on the project. When he talks to architectural audiences, he is inevitably asked: “why didn’t you expose the wood?” The answer is that the wood structure has been encapsulated in drywall and concrete topping to ensure efficient code compliance.
This pragmatic approach was a response to achieving quick approvals, and as an associated outcome, addressed perceptual challenges in terms of fire safety. In fact, the historic (and completely understandable) fear of fire in wood frame buildings is dramatically less relevant to mass timber. During a fire, the outside surface of a thick wood member chars while protecting a structural core of unburnt wood. As building codes develop, it is likely that the testing of mass wood assemblies will assist authorities to better understand the inherent fire resistance of mass timber, and potentially reduce the need for encapsulation, provided that a sacrificial layer of wood char is provided in its place.
From Canadian Architect: https://www.canadianarchitect.com/features/reaching-new-heights-2/
by Web Editor | Feb 10, 2017 | News
A new report from market research firm Allied Market Research (AMR) projects that the global engineered wood market is estimated to reach $41.273 billion by 2022, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.8 percent from 2016 – 2022. North America and Europe, being the developed markets, account for nearly 70 percent of global engineered wood production, while still maintaining high CAGRs.
Engineered wood demand is expected to remain high during the forecast period as it is an alternative to concrete and hardwood. Engineered wood products are widely used by architects, builders, code officials, and building designers aware of energy-efficient framing practices that conserve energy, speed-up construction, cut labor cost, and reduce waste.
“The rising popularity of engineered wood over hardwood is attributable to its cost-effectiveness and eco-friendly aspect,” says AMR research analyst Yogiata Sharma. “Also, stringent regulations with regards CO2 emission and rapid deforestation are factors likely to propel the adoption of engineered wood. Despite the reservations, surrounding its usage due to safety concerns, composite wood has proved to be a huge commercial success.”
The market is expected to move at a higher pace in Europe and North America, owing to high disposable income and widespread awareness of the benefits of engineered wood among the populace. The engineered wood industry in Europe will be driven by the rise in demand for engineered timber, substantial use of resources, and increased import of raw wood from Asia-Pacific and LAMEA.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/almanac-market-data/engineered-wood-market-reach-413-billion-globally-2022?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news
by Web Editor | Feb 3, 2017 | News
For centuries, wood was civilization’s primary construction material, but as the use of concrete, glass and steel grew, wood was largely relegated to flooring and interior paneling.
An exhibition at the National Building Museum in Washington challenges that narrow use. It suggests that tomorrow’s buildings will or should be constructed of wood. The exhibition, “Timber City,” highlights the wide range of benefits offered by cutting-edge methods of timber construction, showing that wood is a modern, strong and versatile material.
The show highlights the two winners of the Tall Wood Building Prize, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “One in New York City and one in Portland, Oregon, are two premier cross-laminated (engineered, pre-fabricated) timber buildings going up right now,” said the exhibition’s curator, Susan Piedmont-Palladino. “They’re similar structures. Both buildings are using this material … in slightly different ways, but the goal is to build right in the middle of the city.”
And that’s what makes timber the perfect choice in a busy district like New York’s Manhattan, where construction speed and efficiency are vital. “Buildings go up very quickly. The materials for the building — the walls and the floors and the ceilings — are manufactured off-site. They come on a truck, pre-fabricated,” Piedmont-Palladino said. “So a work crew armed with power screwdrivers can basically assemble the building extremely quickly. There’s no long-term curing of concrete” needed.
Information panels in the exhibition explain that concrete manufacturing is the world’s third-largest source of greenhouse gases, and that harvesting timber — a renewable resource — has a lower environmental cost than mining the materials needed to make steel and concrete.
From VOANews.com: https://www.voanews.com/a/museum-cross-laminated-wood-building-material/3697202.html
