Wood In Architecture Issue 2, 2022

SUSTAINABILITY
Modern, flexible
and with speed:
Greening cities
with sustainable
timber
One of the most exciting developments
across the construction landscape is
the growth and increased use of mass
timber. Mass timber products, such as
cross-laminated timber (CLT), laminated
veneer lumber (LVL) and glue-laminated
timber (glulam), are a popular and
efficient way to build tall, large and
small buildings, while bringing a striking
architectural dimension to modern
building designs.
Quick to erect and construction costefficient
mass timber products are
renewable building materials as they
are roughly 25% faster to construct than
concrete buildings, and require 90%
less construction traffic 1 . Since mass
timber panels are prefabricated and
then assembled on site, buildings made
from mass timber have shorter project
timelines, and are safer and has less
noisy construction sites.
In an interview with Built by Nature,
Pablo van der Lugt 2 , an author and
board member of Built By Nature, was
asked how he would define the present
state of affairs around the adoption of
mass wood in construction: “We are in
a unique moment in time which sets
the stage for a potential major shift
towards mass timber construction — the
climate crisis, housing deficit, and latest
advancements in mass timber building
construction system based on increased
digitalisation and robotic manufacturing
have set the right preconditions for a
mass timber building revolution.”
The Monicahof 3
One example of how fast and
sustainable construction with certified
wood is possible is the Monicahof in the
centre of Utrecht in the Netherlands
that was completed in four months. The
12m-high complex has four storeys,
consists of mainly Programme for the
Endorsement of Forest Certification
(PEFC)-certified wood, and offers
space for two workplaces and six
small apartments, each with an area of
approximately 50m 2 .
28 WOOD IN ARCHITECTURE • ISSUE 2 – 2022