Category Archives: Wood, Paper & Green Building

Timber Development UK has launched the TDUK Awards to acknowledge the outstanding contributions made by individuals and companies across the timber sector. There are many individuals and companies within our membership whose names might run under the surface, but whose contributions stand tall. The Timber Development UK Awards recognise the excellence of both individuals and companies in the timber industry. The awards celebrate those who do their best every day to raise the profile of timber throughout the entire construction industry. Members can nominate other members, give their reasons why they should win the award(s) and, if helpful, share images to help illustrate their achievements. Entries close on 30 September 2023, and winners will be announced at the Annual Dinner on 8 November.

Wood as a building material is a genuinely renewable source that combines strength, versatility and durability. Houses. Bridges. Furniture of all shapes and sizes. And bikes? Japanese designer Masateru Yasudu has created the Moccle, a single-speed bicycle made primarily of two bent plywood sheets layered with carbon fiber. These sheets form the top tube, down tube and rear stay – and there are two more used for the forks. …Yasuda says: “To make use of the flexibility of wood, the structure of the frame was designed with a large two-piece structure to avoid cutting of the wood fibers as much as possible. Eliminating large changes in the cross-sectional area shape, a smooth and beautiful shape was derived.” …The choice of wood and fiber differs depending on the rider’s weight. Each Moccle is a custom affair, with the geometry also tailored to fit the individual rider. It lists at 6000 euros for a custom build.

©Daniel Shearing

Architects have welcomed insurer Aviva’s decision to include engineered timber in commercial property developments. The company, one of the largest insurance firms in the UK, said it was increasing its underwriting capacity for schemes using products such as cross-laminated timber and glulam following a recent pilot. Insurers’ nervousness over timber in construction is regularly cited as one of the reasons concrete is not being replaced by more sustainable wood products. Some brokers were reportedly quoting teams up to 800 per cent more for insurance on schemes featuring engineered timber compared with traditionally built buildings. But Aviva has said it wants to ‘commit underwriting capability towards’ the development of more environmentally friendly construction. Its UK & Ireland General Insurance chief executive Adam Winslow said: ‘There are a growing number of developers looking to build more sustainably, both by using sustainable materials like engineered timber, and by adopting modern methods of construction.

New Zealand’s concrete industry wants to lower greenhouse gas emissions by 44% by 2030 as part of a roadmap toward becoming net zero carbon by the middle of the century. The target, which is a reduction from 2020 levels, comprises curbing direct emissions from the chemical reaction when making cement and altering the fuel burned in the process, Concrete NZ said Thursday. The industry is trying to balance demand for concrete for building and infrastructure development against the need to reduce emissions as New Zealand makes progress toward its legislated 2050 net zero goal. The challenge for cement companies globally is that they contribute 7% of all carbon emissions because the manufacturing process requires intense energy and the chemical reaction produces so much carbon.

The highly successful Timber Offsite Construction Conference and Exhibition (TOC) scheduled for September 11-12 at Crown Promenade Melbourne has now finalised the extensive speaker lineup. Now in its 24^th year, conference host Andrew Dunn confirmed the speaker sessions program is aimed directly at design professionals looking at the design and construction of timber buildings. The primary focus is on commercial-ready applications of timber technology. Speakers will cover a diverse range of topics such as why to consider timber, how to select appropriate timber systems, avoiding common problems, and innovative construction methods. The high level program includes Andrew Ball from OWoW presenting on the use of post and plate (point-supported) high-rise timber buildings he is developing in California, and Anders Carlsson from Derome, Sweden, who is talking on how he can build the superstructure of a six-storey timber framed building in three days.

A $30 million high-rise building made from timber is capturing the attention of industry and the local community alike in northern Tasmania. A multi-storey construction is turning heads in Launceston’s Central Business District — the building is made almost entirely from timber. The 28-metre-high structure is going up fast, in fact, a lot faster than ones made from traditional building products like steel and concrete. “The speed of construction has been the biggest eye-opener for us,” Fairbrother’s build manager Marcus Perkins said. It is one of only a handful of engineered mass timber buildings under construction across Australia. …”We are getting requests for tours every week, from architects, clients, industry groups, builders, engineers, everyone,” Mr Perkins said. The seventh level has an engineered timber floor and ceiling made from hardwood mass timber produced in Tasmania. …Fast-growing eucalyptus nitens, planted in the 1990s, are now going into the Tasmanian-engineered timber products.

There’s a wind turbine being built in the forests of Sweden — or should I say from the forests. Budding startup Modvion, based in the Scandinavian country, is currently building the world’s tallest wooden wind turbine, and it’s on track for completion this year. The tower will stand 105 metres and is being built for local energy utility Varberg Energi for its wind power site near the town of Skara. A 2-megawatt turbine made by Danish wind giant Vestas will be mounted atop the wooden tower. It could power around 500 homes. The towers are made from laminated veneer lumber. The startup says the material has a higher strength per weight than steel. It is also 30% lighter. …“Wood enables building higher towers at a lower cost, which makes wind power more efficient since winds are stronger and more stable higher up,” said Otto Lundman, CEO of Modvion. 

Henning Larsen has revealed design for a new university building in Torshavn, Faroe Islands, which is set to be built as a new community campus, at the University of the Faroe Islands, extending the comfortable outdoor season by 150 days each year. The 8,000-square-metre campus will be made of mass timber, while it will have integrated green facades to create ideal conditions for students to learn and socialize. …Home to some of the world’s oldest functioning timber buildings, dating as far back as the 11th century, the Faroe Islands’ enduring historic structures, traditional craftsmanship and characteristic architecture have been a distinct inspiration for the design of the university extension.  The buildings will be constructed using mass timber with glulam and cross laminated timber (CLT), and covered with a turfed roof to seamlessly blend the buildings with the iconic landscape of Torshavn. [Did you know? The Faroe Islands is a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. ~thanks Wikipedia!]

Japanese studio Shigeru Ban Architects and local studio AMBK have designed a cross-laminated timber expansion for Ukraine’s largest hospital, which is located in Lviv. Designed to increase hospital capacity in the country, the surgical centre was announced by the mayor of Lviv at the end of June at the Lviv Urban Forum. Construction of the extension will begin early next year. “Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, the country’s largest hospital based in Lviv is reaching capacity and in urgent need of expansion,” said the studio. …The six-storey building will be constructed from cross-laminated timber (CLT). Renders of the development show a rectangular block with a gridded facade with an expressed-timber entrance canopy. Internally, the building will be arranged around a central atrium containing the reception area and surrounded by exposed timber columns. The timber structure will be displayed throughout.

…Scientists from the Universities of Stuttgart and Freiburg are developing new interdisciplinary approaches to construction. In a joint project, the researchers have built a lightweight timber construction pavilion at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Freiburg, where they are testing and researching new materials and construction methods. For the construction of the livMatS Biomimetic Shell @ FIT, the scientists used new computer-based planning methods, robotic manufacturing and construction processes, and new forms of human-machine interaction, which enable significant resource savings compared to conventional timber construction. …The livMatS Biomimetic Shell @ FIT consists of hollow wooden cassettes, which minimize the use of materials for the building envelope and its weight. …The modular structure and design are based on the construction principles of the sea urchin skeleton. …Augmented reality was used to integrate manual partial assembly steps for special components such as lighting and acoustic elements.