Cross Laminated Timber (CLT)
CLT wood is made up of at least three crosswise glued slats, which are placed at straight angles to each other. Hence, the wood is called ‘Cross Laminated Timber’. CLT panels are extremely strong and that is why the application for both floors and walls is extremely popular within sustainable architecture.
CLT construction: Various applications
CLT wood lends itself well to non-residential buildings such as offices and schools because of the low acoustic requirements. But a CLT house is certainly also possible. CLT wood can be used in stacked housing, but the requirements in the field of acoustics and fire safety must be taken into account. CLT construction is also often used for ground-bound homes as there are no separating floors and the height is small. Sustainability is often a top priority for CPO housing, which is why CLT wood can also be used for this. Finally, an increasing amount of hotels are using CLT panels.
Why is CLT sustainable?
CLT wood construction is a sustainable way of building because of the renewability and reusability of wood. Wood can always grow back, it is relatively light, it’s convenient to transport, and it’s easy to disassemble.
Partly due to its light weight and natural growth, wood ensures an enormous reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere compared to the comparable constructive materials steel and concrete.
The beauty of wood
Because CLT is constructed from cross-layered wood, wood of lesser aesthetic quality can be used in intermediate layers, while using nice wood without knots or damage on the outside. In this way, the constructive wood can be left in full view, giving the constructive walls an aesthetically pleasing finish.
The great thing about CLT wood is that there is hardly any expansion, contraction, or deformation. Additionally, the enormous strength and stiffness in all directions of the CLT panels makes it a nice lightweight construction material to work with. Because the panels are made exactly to size in the factory, with or without the necessary recesses for the pipes, the hull construction will be ready much faster than with a concrete construction. The speed and accuracy of construction prevents errors and thus saves costs.
Does this material appeal to you or have you gained inspiration for your own sustainable architecture project? We cordially invite you to come by to discuss it with us. Please feel free to contact us.