Wood In Architecture Issue 1, 2023

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 – 2023 51