Timber iQ August - September 2019 // Issue:45 | Page 33

FEATURES
G
WISA birch plywood
®
one are the days where high rise buildings are
built using conventional building materials.
Timber skyscrapers have arrived and are making
their mark across the world.
Technically superior birch plywood
PERISCOPE TOWER
Located in the Finnish city of Seinäjoki, the Periscope
tower is a giant wooden periscope structure that serves as
an observation tower and engages the viewer in a
dialogue with the landscape.
Made entirely of wood, the building is composed of an
inner core of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and an external
wooden frame that serves as a load bearing structure. The
inner core made of CLT forms the frame for an extra-large
periscope with stairs circling around it. When taking the
stairs up or down one can experience a rich range of
different views framed by the various openings cut into
the structure.
The tower is composed of three prefabricated elements
with the roof forming a fourth element. The façades and
the stairs are made of larch. The details and the security
netting are of steel. The idea was to create a simple
wooden structure of high quality in a way that supports
learning and reflects a commitment to empowering and
strengthening the local community.
The Periscope Tower is situated on the shore of a
man-made lake that has been built on top of a hill in the
vicinity of the centre of the city of Seinäjoki. The man-made
lake, Lake Kyrösjärvi, has been created in order to serve
three main functions: to help keep the flooding in the
plains of Ostrobothnia under control, to generate energy for
the electric power plant serving the city of Seinäjoki, and to
form an attractive site for a new residential area to be
constructed on the shores of the lake. 120 000 square
meters of new housing will be built there to provide homes
for about 2 000 people.
WISA-Birch Premium
Aesthetically pleasing plywood.
UPM’s fi nest quality face grade
– perfect for visually demanding
applications such as furniture
and interior linings.
WISA-Birch Special
Smooth surface for high quality
painting. An optimal base for
various overlaying methods in
demanding construction and
furniture applications.
WISA-Birch
Multi-purpose high quality
panel for various applications
where excellent strength and
stability are essential. An
optimal base for structures that
require robust construction.
www.wisaplywood.com
WOODCUBE
The IBA Woodcube project in Hamburg Germany,
demonstrates how the traditional techniques involved in
solid wood construction can be re-interpreted in a
striking design.
Woodcube, a five-storey apartment building, consists
almost entirely of wood; neither glue nor any type of
protective coating has been used. Slab-like balconies jut
out of the untreated, naturally ageing wooden façade, and
are a marked feature of the building’s design. Inside, wood
forms just as conspicuous a feature of the building as it
does on the outside: ceilings, outer walls, and floors all
have wooden surfaces. One utterly novel feature is the
bare solid wood casing around the massive staircase,
which eschews layering or adhesives. In addition to
forming the structure of the building, the 32-centimetre-
thick solid wood walls also provide complete insulation.
The Woodcube puts untreated wood, as one of the
oldest and most traditional construction materials, at
centre stage, but gives it a completely novel spin. Solid
wood is an integral part of the whole building and is
made as visible as possible in the ceilings, outer walls,
www.timberiq.co.za
// AUG / SEPT 2019
31
PEFC/02-31-112
Promoting Sustainable
Forest Management
www.pefc.org
Agent in Southern Africa:
www.npp.co.za
Tel: [phone]
// AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2019
31