Timber iQ October - November 2019 // Issue:46 | Page 48

REGULARS
WOODWISE
Glulam – a strong
building material
By the Swedish Wood Council
Glulam (glued laminated timber) comprises
a number of wood laminates glued
together. The fibres in the laminates run
parallel to the length of the piece.
I
n straight glulam products, the laminates are 45mm thick. For
curved products, the thickness is less, generally 33mm.
Glulam is a construction material that comes in a range of
strength classes. The manufacturing standard for the Swedish
market is strength class GL30. Some glulam beams are made by
splitting glulam beams of class GL30 to create split timber
beams, which then have a strength class of GL28.
Glulam sets no limits on the potential for wood construction
techniques.
Glulam beams are made with laminates of a higher strength
class on the bottom and top, where the maximum tensile and
compressive stresses occur. The rest of the cross-section, where
the stresses are lower, uses laminates of a lower strength class.
The manufacturing method is called ‘combined glulam’ and is
usually indicated with the letter ‘c’ after the strength class
designation. This allows more efficient use of material compared
with only using wood of the same strength class.
Alternatively, glulam may be made with laminates of the same
high strength class throughout, and this is represented with an ‘h’
for homogeneous after the strength class designation. Glulam is
available in a number of dimensions.
Where large spans, loads or other circumstances define the
design, glulam is made to the drawings and accompanying
specifications as required, in consultation with the glulam
manufacturer’s structural engineers. Custom-made glulam
elements are available in practically any shape and dimension to
meet the architect’s vision and other parameters. Examples of
common custom glulam products include curved beams, pitched
beams, portals and arches.
ADVANTAGES OF GLULAM:
• Strength – Glulam is one of the strongest construction materials
in relation to its weight.
• Environment – The raw material is renewable. The glulam can be
re-used or recycled.
• Aesthetic value – Glulam is a naturally attractive product that
people have a strong emotional connection with.
• Energy – Energy use in glulam manufacture is very low compared
with other construction materials.
• Durability – Glulam tolerates aggressive environments better
than many other construction materials.
• Formability – Glulam can be produced in practically any shape.
• Dimensional stability – Glulam does not twist or bend.
• Fire resistance – Glulam resists fire better than many other
construction materials.
• Workability – Glulam can be worked and crafted using both
simple hand tools and mechanical tools. Holes and notches can
be cut in glulam in consultation with an experienced structural
engineer.
46
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019 //
TALKING TIMBER
Timber for schools
By HWZ International South Africa
We are living in the era of climate change –
we see it and, what’ s more, we feel it every
day. Children learn about it in schools,
even in kindergarten. They are taught what
people seem to forget: How to coexist with
nature.
T
he first and maybe the most important phase of a child’s
life is probably is the classroom or the school building
itself. Teachers want to encourage pupils to have a positive
relationship with natural materials and maintain a
sustainable way of life. This can be achieved by adding some
timber panelling instead of walls and ceilings, and wooden
furniture instead of plastic tables and chairs. According to
studies, natural materials have a positive effect on people
and their concentration – precisely what children need in
their early educational development. It is important that
they can focus and learn new things.
There are several case studies of classrooms that have
used timber in an interesting way. One of them was
architects from Austrian studio feld72, who built a stunning
timber-clad kindergarten located in the small village of
Valdaora di Sotto in South Tyrol. The designs are considered
as a kind of ‘embracing gestures between tradition and
modernity; between past, present and future’.
HWZi International South Africa, in collaboration with
Wood Student Foundation decided to support Ark Angels
Educare and build a new Kindergarten in the informal
settlement of Overcome Heights, Cape Town. The structure
was built with solid timber panels, fully sustainable. This
wooden kindergarten is a safe haven for children, it offers
them not only education but also a new hope.
Another case study is Elementary School and Kindergarten
Nucice in the Czech Republic. Interiors of the inspiring school
are almost completely wooden and sustainable, there is timber
panelling on the walls and NOVATOP acoustic panels on the
ceilings. Chairs and desks are also in wood. There was a similar
project for Kindergarten Dacice, where the NOVATOP acoustic
panels were used in their music rooms and auditoriums.
Many years ago, people used to live with nature in
harmony. The case studies are an example of how to teach
children to be at one with nature.
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