Wood, the best building solution
Timber is widely promoted as a sustainable, environmentally friendly, low-energy construction method. Engineered wood is particularly promising, due to its strength and low mass. It has also made timber a viable option for low-rise, multistorey buildings. New Zealand has a reputation for innovation in the field. For this reason, the project 'Building with environmentally sustainable structural timber' (BEST) sought to build up networking and exchange between experts in New Zealand and Europe. Financed by the EU, the project focused on encouraging European experts to enhance and adapt structural timber design methods developed in New Zealand for widespread use in Europe. Employing prestressed timber, these methods enable not only rapid, modular construction but also the disassembly and reuse of the wood. BEST explored the potential of timber–concrete composites, glue-laminated timber and laminated-veneer lumber, as well as different design and connection approaches. In addition to its mandate for multistorey buildings, BEST also investigated the feasibility of using timber–concrete composites for the construction of road bridges for lower-weight vehicles. In fact, the project developed a first finite element model for just such a bridge. The findings of the BEST project will help to introduce a novel, innovative, sustainable and convenient building material into the EU.
