Lewis Taylor
Timber Frame Consultant
Building the future - with
cross-laminated timber
Cross-laminated timber panels are growing in
popularity as architects and engineers realise
the sustainability and cost-savings that can be
achieved with this timber solution
Australia might be famous for its sun, sand and kangaroos
but it is also now home to the world’s tallest timber
apartment building, a 10-storey medium rise tower called
‘Forté’ that challenges conceptions surrounding mainstream
construction materials.
Located in the ever-growing Victoria Harbour in Melbourne
Docklands, the building sits on a 2.5-kilometre promenade
and hopes to achieve the first 5 Star Green Star As Built
(Green Star is a voluntary rating system for sustainability)
residential building in Australia.
To reduce the carbon footprint of the building, cross-
laminated timber was chosen over concrete as the building’s
primary structural material. A total of 760 panels made from
sustainably sourced and certified timber were shipped from
Austria to construct the walls, floors and roof of the building.
The green credentials of cross-laminated timber were
a major factor in its use: a study at RMIT University in
Melbourne found that the use of cross-laminated timber
is expected to result in significantly lower greenhouse
gas emissions of more than 1,400 tonnes compared to
traditional concrete and steel.
The Forté building might be the tallest, but cross-laminated timber
is being used around the world in multi-storey apartment buildings,
proving that timber can compete in an area traditionally dominated
by other building materials. Closer to home, the 29-apartment nine
storey Murray Grove Tower in London - the brainchild of architects
Waugh Thistleton - was constructed using a cross-laminated timber
panel system. Each of the timber panels were factory prefabricated,
including cutouts for windows and doors. As the panels arrived
on site, they were immediately craned into position, dramatically
reducing the time on site. The entire nine-storey structure was
erected within nine weeks.
Cross-laminated timber construction is most definitely capturing
interest – and it’s easy to see why. Wall, floor and roof elements
can be pre-cut in the factory to any dimension and shape,
including openings for doors, windows, stairs, service channels
and ducts. The structures offer excellent thermal, acoustic and fire
performance to satisfy ever-tougher national building regulations.
Cross-laminated timber buildings also have a very low carbon
footprint because carbon absorbed during the trees’ growth is
locked away inside the wood used to make the panels.
What can it be used for?
These large solid panels can be used to form walls, roofs, floors,
and even lift shafts and stairs. The building envelope can then
be insulated and clad with other materials such as timber, brick,
render or composite panels. This form of construction is now being
considered where masonry, concrete and steel have historically
been the usual forms of construction. Although cross-laminated
timber has a promising future in multi-storey construction – as
the above examples prove - it is probably more likely that low-rise
non-residential buildings will be its main application. The qualities
of exposed timber panels are most appreciated where an internal
exposed timber surface offers an aesthetic or acoustic benefit,
such as exhibition spaces, schools, places of worship, sports halls,
theatres or dwellings.
The benefits of CLT’s off-site manufacture and speed of
construction mean it is more likely to be used on large schemes,
rather than small one-off projects. Economically, the practical limit
for timber stud frame buildings (the most common method for
constructing timber frame) is 18m to the top-floor deck where 60
minutes fire resistance can easily be achieved. In contrast, cross-
laminated timber is a solid panel, it charring performance provides
increased fire resistance. It therefore offers economic solutions
 The magazine for TRADA members
Autumn 2013

above 18m. BM TRADA has published a scheme design for up to
12 storeys; feasible building heights may increase beyond this in
the future.
Green credentials
As a tree grows it absorbs and stores carbon dioxide and releases
oxygen. The more timber is used (and carbon stored within),
the nearer a construction moves towards being carbon neutral.
Buildings made with solid wood panels in walls, floors and roofs
could have a negative carbon footprint. In other words, the carbon
absorbed as the trees used in the panels grow exceeds the carbon
associated with all the materials in the building. This is because
such large volumes of wood are used in CLT buildings. At the end
of the building’s life, the CLT panels may be suitable for re-use or
recycling. The untreated wood and the low hazard glues used in
CLT panels make the product suitable as a biomass fuel.
Structural benefits
The structural benefits of CLT are many. Due to the large bearing
area available, the walls have high axial load capacity and high
shear strength to resist horizontal loads. Separate lintels are not
usually required over openings. The dead weight of CLT reduces
the need for mechanical holding down to resist overturning forces;
and buckling in the plane of the wall is unlikely, except for isolated
columns and piers. Junctions between panels and elements are
fixed using long proprietary screws and/or brackets. Structural
fixings are easy to install and likely to achieve their design capacity.
Second-fix items and cladding can be fixed directly to panels using
lightweight power tools.
Speedy building
Where site storage is limited, panels can be delivered to site and
erected using a ‘just-in-time’ approach. Provided accuracy in
setting out the foundations is achieved, CLT structures offer reliable
on-site programming due to large prefabricated panel elements.
A weather tight shell can be achieved quickly allowing following
trades to start work fitting services etc.
Airtightness
Thermal performance will be compromised if the construction
does not achieve adequate airtightness. Because CLT construction
would not normally include a vapour control layer, the system relies
entirely on the detailing of joints to achieve airtightness. Joints that
are merely screwed together may suffice, but this will depend on
‘true’ surfaces, good workmanship and the level of airtightness
specified. Airtightness is normally achieved with either pre-
compressed foam tape within the joint and/or tape across the joint.
Pre-completion testing may be needed to demonstrate compliance.
With its structural benefits, green credentials and speed of
build, it’s easy to see why CLT is becoming a popular building
choice. For anyone looking to learn more about this method
of construction, BM TRADA’s frameCHECK team now runs a
course in CLT. The next date is 23rd October 2013, held at their
headquarters near High Wycombe. Contact BM TRADA Training
on +44 (0)1494 569620 / timbertraining@bmtrada.com for more
details.

How is it made?
The UK currently imports CLT panels from Germany, Austria,
Switzerland and Sweden. There are at least seven suppliers in the
UK. As the UK market develops, a British plant producing CLT from
British timbers may become viable.

CLT panels have three, five, seven or more layers, stacked on one
another at right angles to each other and glued together in a press
over their entire surface area. This cross-laminating and bonding
to adjacent pieces results in better dimensional stability, strength in
two planes and improved structural integrity. Each layer is composed
of softwood timber planks (of varying lamination thickness) glued
together. The build-up is symmetrical around the middle layer.

The way CLT is laminated together provides the opportunity for

lower-grade timber to be used, as imperfections such as knots
are not coincident in adjacent layers. Panel thickness ranges from
50mm to 300mm, but panels as thick as 500mm can be produced.
Panels can be up to 20m long and 4.8m wide, but transport
constraints normally govern panel size. A maximum length of
13.5m and width of 3m is generally considered practical in the UK,.
Some suppliers offer curved panels with a minimum radius of 8m.
Innovative timber construction publication
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Non-members £35:00

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