Wood In Architecture Issue 2, 2022

SUSTAINABILITY
1
The residential and work complex in
Utrecht was designed by Design agency
Ramin Visch 4 . Seventy cubic metres
of wood were used in the complex. In
total, more than 43,000kg of CO2 were
stored in that wood, while the use of
other traditional building materials such
as concrete and steel actually causes
CO2 emissions. If sustainably sourced,
wood can be endlessly renewable. The
use of PEFC-certified wood as a building
material is particularly sustainable
because the PEFC label ensures that
what is harvested also grows back.
WOOD: BUILDING WITH
SPEED
The speed in which a wooden building
can be realised makes this construction
method ideally suited to contribute
in the short term to a solution for the
current shortage in the housing market.
Parts of the complex at Monicahof
were already assembled in the factory,
which meant that processing time in the
construction site could be limited — an
advantage, especially when construction
has to take place in the city.
THE WOODEN CONSTRUCTION
The load-bearing capacity of the
Monicahof construction is mainly due
to the use of LVL from Metsä Wood, a
provider of engineered wood products
2
that is PEFC chain-of-custody certified.
This PEFC-certified beam material from
the Finnish forests is 2.5 times stronger
than normal wooden beams and
available in beams up to 25m in length.
With the use of the wooden beams
and panels, all electrical installations
could be concealed in the hollow walls.
Furthermore, all of the wood material is
removable and reusable.
Another example of building with
timber at a fast speed is the Macquarie
University Incubator 5 . The Incubator
provides a space for students
to research and develop ideas.
Sustainability, flexibility, and a short
construction time were priorities in the
project development. One hundred
and five cubic metres of PEFC-certified
glulam, supplied by binderholz, a
producer of solid and engineered
wood solutions, and 2,500m² of solid
wood panels were processed during a
construction period of a few months.
Sustainability was a priority in the
construction process and the selection
of materials. While a cantilevered roof,
double-glazing, and operable wall
panels help to maintain a pleasant
room temperature all year round,
photovoltaic cells on the roof generate
renewable energy.
1 The Macquarie
University
Incubator
2 One hundred
and five cubic
metres of PEFCcertified
glulam
were used in the
construction of
the Incubator
WOOD IN ARCHITECTURE • ISSUE 2 – 2022 29