CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER

CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER, or CLT, is an engineered timber product that is threatening to upset the
dominance of the big two structural materials: concrete and steel.

Initially driven by the material's sustainable credentials, cross laminated timber buildings are gaining
traction, as they can be cheaper, quicker, cleaner and quieter to build than traditional structures.
Over the past five years the use of CLT in construction has risen dramatically. The material is now
being used to construct spectacular and sustainable homes, offices, schools and towers.

CLT is manufactured from Spruce, although Scots pine, larch and Douglas fir can also be used. Once
at the factory, the timber is planed and then kiln-dried to reduce the moisture content.

The conditioned timber is then stacked into layers, know as lamellas, on top of each other. Each
layer is placed at a 90 degree angle to the one beneath. These layers are then glued, using a non-
toxic adhesive, and hydraulically pressed together to create the high strength structural panels.

Individual panels can in theory be any size. However, their width is limited by the size of the
manufacturing machinery, which is usually around 11 feet (or 3.5 metres) wide. The length of a
panel is only dictated by how it will be transported to site. While 45 feet (or 13.5 metre) lengths are
typical for practical purposes, panels of up to 75 feet (or 22 metres) have been produced.
Using state-of-the-art Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) joinery machines, almost any shape of
panel can be produced, meaning that door and window openings can be pre-cut in the factory.
These offsite manufactured panels are then ready to be delivered to site.

Proponents of CLT claim that producing timber building components consumes only 50% of the
energy required to produce concrete and a mere 1% of that needed to produce steel.

The prefabricated panels can be delivered to site as they are needed, making this construction
method ideal for schemes with limited on-site storage capacity. They are then lifted into place, using
pre-installed lifting straps, and rapidly assembled, greatly reducing construction time and therefore
cost.

As the timber used is kiln-dried, CLT should not shrink or warp when onsite. However, like most
timber elements, CLT must be placed above the damp-proof level and will need protection when
used as an external faade. CLT construction also reduces the overall self-weight of a structure, as
compared to concrete, potentially reducing groundwork costs.

The construction process is also cleaner than traditional methods, with greatly reduced levels of
dust. It is also quieter, a distinct advantage for projects built in urban areas.
While there are numerous benefits to CLT, people can be fearful of living, or working, in timber
buildings. Some feel such structures possess an inherent fire risk and are particularly dangerous
when formed to ten, 20 or 30 storeys.

Unlike unprotected steel, CLT can remain structurally stable when subjected to high temperatures.
When exposed to fire, the outer layer of timber chars and forms a layer around the structural core,
which can retain its load bearing capacity. CLT's inherent fire resistance allows it to comply with the
fire resistance classes withstanding blazes for between 30 to 120 minutes depending on its
engineering and formation.

While early CLT buildings were predominantly small low-rise structures, the material is increasingly
being considered for taller schemes. Since Waugh Thistleton built the first timber skyscraper, or
"plyscraper" in 2009, tall timber buildings have been planned around the world. In the past five
years, towers of 30 metres, constructed from CLT, have risen in Australia, America and Europe.

DALS T ON LA NE T HE WORLD'S L ARG E S T C LT BUI LDI NG

Dalston Lane is the worlds largest CLT building, and a landmark project in our ambition to roll out
the use of timber construction in high-density urban housing, across London and beyond.

The ten-storey, 121-unit development is made entirely of CLT, from the external, party and core
walls, through to the floors and stairs, weighing a fifth of a concrete building of this size, and
reducing the number of deliveries during construction by 80 per cent.

APPROACH
As well as tackling Londons need for high quality, high-density housing that provides a natural and
healthy living environment, this groundbreaking use of timber technology has significantly reduced
the carbon footprint of the building in terms of both material production and on-site time and
energy consumption.

Due to its vastly reduced weight, the building is taller than was ever thought feasible on the
neglected Brownfield site.

DESIGN

The distinctly modern residential community makes up a large part of the new streetscape, and
responds in scale with varied roof heights, undulating between five and ten storeys, each orientated
to maximise daylight to the apartments balconies and communal open spaces.

R E SULT
The project has been the subject of exciting partnerships with the London Borough of Hackney and
timber-engineering specialists Ramboll, and is fast becoming the subject of international interest,
attracting hundreds of site visitors, and putting Hackney firmly on the map as a world leader for
timber construction.