WHAT IS CLT?

CLT stands for CROSS-LAMINATED TIMBER. CLT is an engineered wood product consisting of layers of kiln-dried dimension lumber (usually three, five, seven or nine) oriented at right angles to one another and then glued to form structural panels. By glueing layers of wood at right angles, the panel delivers excellent structural rigidity in both directions. In special cases, double outer laminations may be parallel and not alternating crosswise.

WHAT IS CLT USED FOR?

CLT can be used as an alternative to concrete to form the walls, roofs, floors and ceilings of a building, and is particularly well-suited to multistorey taller wood construction. This can include pre-insulated wall and roof sections. Other applications include cantilevered floors and balconies, load-bearing elevator shafts and stairs. It can be used in virtually any building type from residential and office towers to schools and civic buildings. It can be left exposed for its aesthetic appearance or encapsulated when needed. Lumber in the outer layers of CLT wall panels is normally oriented up and down to maximize its load capacity vertically. Likewise, for floor and roof systems, the outer layers run parallel to the direction of the longer span.

CLT FIRE REISISTANCE

CLT, like other mass timber products, naturally resists fire because of its chars. In the event of a fire, this char on the outside forms a protective layer while retaining strength. This slows combustion significantly, allowing time to evacuate the building safely. For added safety, typical CLT construction that uses panels for floors and load-bearing walls helps compartmentalize a fire—stopping it from spreading to other parts of a building.

CLT FUTURES

  • good thermal conductivity;
  • does not freeze like concrete, but is a very monolithic material;
  • very good sound insulation properties;
  • seismically stable;
  • safe material against rodents, because the wood glued to the crosses is too hard for rodents;
  • practically no burning properties due to its density. In the event of burning, only the obvious layer of wood will catch fire, as oxygen cannot access each subsequent layer, slowly charring the boards to retain their load-bearing properties for 2h.
  • also used in mezzanine covers and load-bearing structures;
  • during operation, the panels are ecological and people feel comfortable in them.