BUILDING IN DURABILITY
Suitable for use with cross laminated timber (CLT) or timber frame walls, ALU START by Rothoblaas is bringing a new dimension to ground connections.
Rothoblaas are very proud of the fact that they are the first to produce a single profile with the CE marking according to European Technical Assessment (ETA), capable of ensuring durability and at the same time transferring all the stresses of a timber building to the ground.
A ‘three-in-one’ profile that can transfer all the stresses (compression, tensile, shear and lateral forces) to the foundation without using additional plates which, together with the reusable JIGSTART templates and the other products in the Rothoblaas range, forms an integrated system for marking out, levelling and fastening the timber wall to the ground.
Ground connection is one of the most critical points of the building, where there is a lack of homogeneity of materials, a geometric discontinuity and where timber can potentially come into contact with water from different sources (external rain, rising damp or interstitial condensation of humid air from the inside). In recent decades, construction has become increasingly complex, so it is no longer sufficient to apply a few simple rules to ensure the required performance – this is particularly evident in the ground connection node of timber buildings.
The ALU START profile, available in five different widths, eliminates contact between the timber panels and the concrete substructure, providing protection against rising damp and ensuring excellent durability of the building’s ground connection. It is the first ground connection system that eliminates hold-downs and shear angle brackets. Made of aluminium alloy, the ALU START system can be used with CLT or timber frame walls. The closed-cell metal profile with small dimensions avoids the presence of moving moist air, while its low height leads to an important mitigation of thermal bridging.
ETA Certification The European ETA-20/0835 certification means that it is the first metal profile for connection to the ground certified by a third party, with complete and reliable calculation models for the structural verification of all components (aluminium part, nailing on wood and dowelling on concrete). EU legislation prescribes precise procedures for the certification and CE marking of construction products. Therefore an ETA is the only way to market ‘three-dimensional nailed plates’ such as the ALU START profile.
Furthermore, besides being necessary for CE marking, an ETA is a formidable way of providing the designer with all the information needed to carry out static and seismic verification of connections. As pioneers in the world of timber construction, Rothoblaas are bringing forward new ideas and developing safe and certified solutions to give an advantage and provide opportunities to build more and more high-performance buildings.
