Timber Fit for the 21st Century
The seventh Solid Wood Solutions conference and exhibition will celebrate the use of cross laminated timber (CLT), laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and glulam as innovative and sustainable structural alternatives to steel and concrete.
Today’s interest in engineered timber is driven by both technological advances and the growing concern for the environment and sustainable construction practices. As a construction material timber has gone from near ubiquity, to marginalisation, to a contemporary resurgence.
The Solid Wood Solutions conference
and exhibition will address timber’s use in the construction industry as a
versatile, natural material that is undergoing a revival where it is used in
widespread applications in high-quality architecture to the realisation of cutting
edge structural engineering within contemporary building design. Designed to
inspire through innovation, the conference will also provide a valuable
networking opportunity where guests will be able to gain insights from industry
leaders who are shaping the future of the construction industry.
Conference Programme
The conference will begin with an introduction from Nick Milestone, Chairman of Trada. The international speaker line-up will include Andrew Goodwin, Managing Director of B&K Structures, who will be explaining the design and delivery of hybrid structures with green credentials, Daniel Kressig, Sales Engineer at Züblin Timber, will be discussing complex structures in timber, Jannick Jahnke, Sales Engineer at Simonin SAS, will be raising important questions surrounding glulam roofing solutions.
Environmental Impact
Under the banner of ‘Architecture is Political: It’s Time for the Timber Revolution’ Anthony Thistleton, founding Partner of Waugh Thistleton Architects, will be discussing the politics of architecture and sharing his views on dramatically reducing CO2 to minimise global warming.
“We need to be generating working,
sustainable forests that are geared towards the massive task in hand. Architecture
is political, and as architects, we have the responsibility to address the
principal issues of our age. None is more critical and with such a severe
potential as the threat of climate breakdown. The built environment is the
primary source of CO2 emissions we must address the embodied energy
in our construction. Using CLT is not simply ‘good for the environment’ it has
the potential to save the world.”
Ground-breaking Case Studies
Center Parcs – Elveden Forest
One of the pioneering projects to be explored during the conference is the Metsä Wood development for Center Parcs. Metsä Wood presented a structural design for the lodges, proposing portal frames of Kerto® LVL to make the structures stable and easy to assemble.
The three architectural waterside lodges are located on the bank of a beautiful lake nestled in the heart of Elveden Forest. These lodges are the first accommodation to overhang Elveden’s lake. The engineered timber blends into the natural forest surroundings to create an authentic woodland haven.
From the side, each cabin has the appearance of an upturned boat, featuring an elegant fin. Apart from their stunning architectural and structural design, these lodges are innovative in their use of engineered wood products, which are cost-effective compared to alternative materials and quick to construct, minimising environmental impact. The architect was inspired by the curved hulls of the boats on the lake, which are reflected in the lodges’ elegant arches.
The Stephen Perse Foundation – Cambridge
Another key case study covered in the conference is the hugely successful Stephen Perse Foundation project, which comprises a group of leading independent schools in central Cambridge.
The spatially complex building combines a basement sports hall, a rooftop games pitch with flexible learning and social spaces. The hall has been designed with a range of integrated equipment to facilitate all curriculum sports.
An adjacent Victorian building was reformed into a reception and office space, linked to the main building by a lightweight glazed bridge. The reception interior is formed by a continuous ribbon of oak veneered timber which ties the different functions of this space together.
Facing the main school courtyard, a stepped double-height space creates a new multi-functional heart to the school. This architectural development opens out beneath a high canopy, which is supported by a woven structure of deep glulam beams and twisting columns.
