One relatively new building material, Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), is causing waves in the construction industry in more ways than one. CLT is a prefabricated, solid engineered wood panel that is lightweight but surprisingly strong. It is also superior to traditional wood, in other ways such as fire safety, acoustics and thermal performance. What’s even better is that it is also much more eco-friendly, easy to install and non-waste generating on site, compared to steel, concrete or wood.
In Australia an entire skyscraper, the Collins House in Melbourne, has been built with CLT. CLT panels consist of multiple layers of kiln-dried lumber boards that are stacked in alternate directions and bonded with structural adhesives. Once pressed into panels, they are then cut to the desired size, including any needed openings prior to being sent onsite.
CLT is an incredible, newly developed construction material that is a superior and sustainable building material for any size structure.
