European Conference on Cross Laminated Timber (CLT)
Research Status
Complete
Notes
May 21-22, 2013, Graz, Austria
Summary
Solid timber construction (STC) with Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), which was presented for
the first time to an international audience of specialists in the context of the concluding
conference of the COST Action E5 “Timber frame building systems” in September 2000 [10],
can be definitely regarded as one of the most significant innovations in timber engineering within
recent decades. Worldwide sales figures of about 500,000 m3 and a wide area of application,
which includes not only modern one-family houses, multi-storey buildings, but also office- and
administration buildings, hall systems and bridge structures, prove this statement. However, the
motto “everything is possible”, which goes along with this rapid development, and the legitimate
concentration on the feasibility in static-constructive terms (ULS, SLS, fire, earthquake, etc.) lead
to the problem that interdisciplinary issues are considered insufficiently; this is in the context of
multi-storey buildings with questions concerning qualitative building services adapted to this type
of construction.
Therefore, the aim of this report can be seen in dealing with these interdisciplinary problems. In
concrete terms this means facing them and offering possible solutions in the context of solid
timber construction out of Cross Laminated Timber. Due to the local processes on the subject of
using Cross Laminated Timber, this report is based on a number of selected and partly completed projects in the Graz (AT) conurbation.