Wood In Architecture Issue 1, 2023

More documents

Recommendations

Info

STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS Structure (SVES), a flooring and wall module that aims to replace precast concrete floor slabs, built using homogeneous reconstituted timber (HRT) developed by Onewood. 1 WHAT ARE SVES AND RECONSTITUTED TIMBER? As its name suggests, the SVES has an eggcrate structure sandwiched in between two panels. The eggcrate structure is formed using a mould — made using a computerised numerical control (CNC) machine — that presses laminated layers of wood fibres into the eggcrate-like shape. There are two types of SVES: The wall module uses a single directional eggcrate structure that allows conduits and wirings to pass through the hollow space, and the flooring module uses a double directional structure that allows higher durability and strength. Currently, the SVES withstands 1.5kN of standing force. Furthermore, once fire retardant foam is pumped into the hollow spaces, the SVES can become a Class 0 component, which means it can be used in residential houses since it can slow the spread of fire. 1 SVES is made using reconstituted timber, which is a dense material made of 70% wood fibres and 30% binder 2 An SVES floor component can withstand up to 1.5kN of standing force 3 Testing how much load an SVES panel can hold 2 3 SVES is made entirely with Onewood’s HRT, which aims to be a sustainable alternative to hardwood timber by using wood fibres from tree plantations that are bound together using a water-based binder. Pan estimated that HRT is roughly 70% of wood fibres, and 30% of the binder. Using reconstituted timber addresses the multiple issues mentioned earlier that plague Singapore’s mass timber industry. Since Onewood sources wood fibres from plantations around the region, such as Malaysia, manufacturing SVES will not incur huge freight and shipping costs, unlike importing engineered timber from Europe. Furthermore, HRT uses wood fibres from plantation timber that only requires 5-7 years compared to mass engineered timber which uses solid lumber that 50 WOOD IN ARCHITECTURE • ISSUE 1 – <strong>2023</strong>
STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS 4 5 requires a longer harvest period of around 30 years rotation. The density of reconstitute timber also makes the SVES resistant to termites. But that does not mean reconstituted timber, and by extension SVES, can be used immediately for construction, since Singapore allows engineered timber from Europe or New Zealand to be used in high-rise projects. Pan elaborated: “Since Singapore subscribes to the EU building code, you need to make sure the material complies with the building code through certification and testing, and that takes a very long time. And they are many different certifications to go through which are expensive.” Even so, SVES is developed with the goal of using it for low-rise projects, like residential houses. “The idea is that we can change the building type with SVES, and we do not need columns and beams anymore, since we are not doing high-rise construction,” added Pan. “I’m looking at a maximum of two-and-a-half-storey building.” PREFABRICATION As a Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA)-trained architect, Pan and his studio developed the SVES with prefabrication in mind. The SVES modules can be fabricated and manufactured off-site, before being delivered to the construction site and installed onto the building itself. Furthermore, the mould used to press the laminated veneers into an eggcrate structure can be reused again to produce more eggcrate structures, allowing the mass production of SVES modules. Although prefabrication has a negative connotation in the architecture sector since it seemingly allows only cookie-cutter designs, Pan wanted to explore how to achieve design freedom alongside prefabrication and mass customisation. Other important aspects to prefabrication are its ecofriendliness and economy. For instance, speaking about another residential project he is currently working on, a mass timber, twostorey detached house or bungalow in Sentosa, Singapore, Pan described how even though mass timber solutions seem costlier than concrete or steel structures in Singapore, the overall cost, which takes into account construction time and labour, is actually cheaper. For the bungalow he is working on, Pan mentioned that it only requires “less than four weeks” to complete the on-site installation of the wooden structure. Prefabrication therefore saves on time and manpower. “There is an economy of scale here, where I am looking at componentbased timber products and doing different column, wall, or beam types. I am giving architects all the kit of parts [of the wooden building components], which they can take and create different design forms. I come from a design background, and I am looking at the possibility of mass customisation so that in the end, architects get more flexibility out of my solutions,” said Pan. WHAT’S NEXT? Currently, the proof of concept and prototype for SVES are done, and what’s left are the certifications and testing. This can be achieved with pilot testing. Pan needs to test the SVES components in a building, ensuring they are safe and ready for use, and these tests can only be done in South East Asian countries where the pilot project will be nearer to the source of timber. Pan and his studio Produce are also looking for Singapore grants to further support his tests, and he is also exploring alternatives to sprinkler technology, such as mist systems which can slow the spread of flames on mass timber surfaces. However, that would require several governmental organisations in the water and building industries to change current regulations and codes, and to change their mindset about fire regulations. Otherwise, certifications to ascertain the ecofriendliness of SVES, such as Singapore Green Label Certificate or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, or to ascertain the SVES’ durability and fire resistance, such as Durability Test EN 113-2 (2020) and EN 350 (2016) and British Standard – Surface Spread of Flame Test Report BS 476: Part 7: 1997, are still needed before the SVES is market ready. WIA 4 How the flooring module of the SVES is formed using a mould 5 How the wall module of SVES is formed WOOD IN ARCHITECTURE • ISSUE 1 – <strong>2023</strong> 51
Page 1 and 2: www.panelsfurnitureasia.com ISSUE 1
Page 3 and 4: sales@pabloasia.com
Page 5 and 6: CONTENTS 04 Editor’s Note 06 News
Page 7 and 8: in conjunction with SFS & MT VIETNA
Page 9 and 10: NEWS MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOOD IN
Page 11 and 12: NEWS BEST USE OF CERTIFIED TIMBER P
Page 13 and 14: NEWS PUBLIC HOUSES IN SOUTH AUSTRAL
Page 15 and 16: BIG PICTURE Libraries have long dev
Page 17 and 18: BIG PICTURE 2 3 1 The library has a
Page 19 and 20: BIG PICTURE 1 1 A hybridised public
Page 21 and 22: BIG PICTURE of a neighbouring matur
Page 23 and 24: BIG PICTURE Durable and sustainable
Page 25 and 26: BIG PICTURE Warm, peaceful, tranqui
Page 27 and 28: BIG PICTURE dense wood and natural
Page 29 and 30: MARKET REPORT requires only half as
Page 31 and 32: MARKET REPORT Raise the automation
Page 33 and 34: SUSTAINABILITY Regulations’ (SOR/
Page 35 and 36: SUSTAINABILITY the adjacent floors
Page 37 and 38: MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY 2 3 “We
Page 39 and 40: MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY strengthen
Page 41 and 42: ENGINEERED WOOD Communicating with
Page 43 and 44: ENGINEERED WOOD 2 3 ECOTELLIGENT AN
Page 45 and 46: ENGINEERED WOOD 1 2 3 4 The roof ov
Page 47 and 48: DESIGN 1 2 3 4 1 Elegantia: Eleganc
Page 49 and 50: DESIGN 2 3 4 cane, also scientifica
Page 51: STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS The finished pr
Page 55 and 56: STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS 1 2 3 1 The ent
Page 57 and 58: FLOORING FLOORING rating of 3,030,
Page 59 and 60: FIT-OUTS The sycamore tree permeate
Page 61 and 62: FIT-OUTS Yamagiwa Osaka showroom an
Page 63 and 64: SHOW PREVIEW Workspace Design Show
Page 65 and 66: EVENTS CALENDAR 2023 MARCH Interzum
Page 67: MASTER PIECES FROM TAIWAN MASTER PI

Wood In Architecture Issue 1, 2023

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?