Cross Laminated Timber is gaining traction across the globe! CLT first became a big hit internationally, before it ever made its appearance in the United States. Europe started the Mass Timber Movement by first introducing CLT back in the 1900s, particularly in Australia and Germany. CLT began as a university project that an Austrian Doctoral student, named Gerhard Schickhofer undertook a few decades ago. He valued the impact that this very strong building material could have on the industry. This strong-material also turned out to be very environmentally friendly, even though that was not his main focus in the beginning. Now there are over 100 CLT manufacturers across the world. In 2015, DR Johnson Wood Innovations became the first Certified Manufacturer to produce Cross-Laminated Timber in the United States. Since then, the demand for Mass Timber has sky-rocketed. Many architects and builders have turned to CLT for its positive impact on climate change and its efficient & rapid installation.
Many cities around the world are adapting to this new & upcoming, sustainable and innovative form of construction. So far, CLT has mainly been used for low-rise residential, commercial, mixed-use buildings, and school buildings. Now, Mass Timber is gaining popularity in the design of tall buildings. Architects and developers are proposing more and more CLT buildings with 6-stories and higher! Over the past several years, a number of tall wood buildings have been completed around the world. With the rising demand for Urban Buildings, and an increased interest of sustainable and efficient construction, the Mass Timber Industry is expected to continue to grow. Building tall with wood has shown to be more cost effective, contribute to well-being, and significantly reduce carbon emissions.
The tallest wood building in the world, Mjøstårnet, lives in Brumunddal, Norway. This tall and innovative building consists of 18 stories, and was designed for multi-use, including, apartments, hotel, swimming pool, office spaces, and restaurant. The timber specialist, Moelven Limitre, installed the buildings timber structure, primarily using Cross-Laminated Timber and Glu-Laminated Beams throughout the entire structure. This unbelievable structure was completed in March of 2019.
The next tallest Mass Timber Building in the world is planned to appear in Sydney, Australia. An Australian software company called Atlassian, is in the process of building their new 40 story headquarters. With sustainability in mind, not only is the main material of the structure environmentally friendly because of CLT, the building will also run on completely renewable energy. This includes window treatments that will self-shade to reduce radiant warming, and solar panels that will cover the entire building. For more on this Australian Mass Timber building, click here.
We look forward to seeing more and more Mass Timber buildings come to life across the globe.
