| Cross laminated timber (Xlam or CLT) has started its mass production about 15 years ago. The Xlam plates still have lots of room for improvement that would allow for its more effective and economic use under different boundary conditions; namely loads, spans, fire resistance, seismic etc. Hence, the main aim of the project is the development of two new types of cross laminated timber plates, so called hybrid crosslam plates, which will be optimised to specific boundary conditions.
The new plate development will be accompanied by a new production process ensuring the new products will have a better price performance than the current solutions on the market. In addition the plates will have a much better load bearing capacity vs. material use than conventional Xlam plates which need a high input of timber. As the quantity of yearly cut timber especially in Europe is slowly reaching its maximum its price is consequently rising, making conventional Xlam less competitive on the market on one hand and more straining on the forest of the other. The hybrid plates also speed up the general construction process as they allow for easier installation of final building layers (insulation, façade etc.) consequently cutting building cost and making them a more competitive product on the market. |