Professional Documents
Culture Documents
buildings
p. 102 LCT One and IZM
p. 110 Apartment building,
Wagramer Straße
p. 116 Canols staff hostel
p. 122 Wälderhaus
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p. 128 Woodcube
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102
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LifeCycle Tower One The LCT One unitised building
and Illwerke offices system could well help
modern timber construction
to recapture the cultural
significance that timber
buildings had for towns and
cities in the Middle Ages.
Two examples demonstrate
the comprehensive options
of this hybrid building
system, which is suitable
for both high- and low-rise
structures. The qualities
of this system are, first and
103 foremost, its standardised
industrial production
that takes up the early ideas
of Konrad Wachsmann
and transfers them to the
modern age.
It was in 2009 that Cree GmbH, a subsidiary of the 100 metres, high. The first two buildings erected with
Copyright © 2015. Birkhäuser. All rights reserved.
Rhomberg construction company, initiated a research this new system – the eight-storey LifeCycle Tower One
project with an interdisciplinary team of experts headed (LCT One) in Dornbirn in 2012 and the Illwerke office
by Vorarlberg-based architect Hermann Kaufmann. building in Montafon in 2013 – have restored timber
Together, the specialists from R&D, practice, and applied construction to the world of international architecture
science created a new timber hybrid building system and contemporary urban design.
that has helped timber construction shake off the
provincialism with which it had been occasionally labelled. LifeCycle Tower One
A rationalised modular system in every way, it can Various factors are responsible for the pioneering
be used to construct buildings up to thirty storeys, i.e. achievement of the LCT system. CAD design and
non-encapsulated, load-bearing, solid timber compo- concrete topping. As with the exposed timber facade
nents – a new approach for multi-storey timber buildings. columns, the solid timber ribs of the composite floor are
Refraining from encapsulation allowed the key features left on show. The multifunctional building services
of the wood – texture, feel, and charm – to be retained were installed between the exposed timber ribs of the
and thus improve the interior. Built in reinforced concrete suspended floor elements. Service units, likewise
for fire protection reasons, the service core contains the prefabricated, include ventilation, sprinkler, and lighting
stairs and lift, and at the same time carries loads and systems as well as heating and cooling modules. The
braces the building. The external wall construction, with acoustic performance of the floor has been optimised
the load-bearing timber structure left visible on the through the use of a raised access floor whose voids were
inside, has a U-value of 0.12 W/m²K for a thickness of filled with concrete afterwards. Steel brackets, enclosed
48 centimetres. From inside to outside, the layers of the in gypsum fire-resistant board (GKF) to comply with
104 wall are: OSB / vapour barrier, insulated timber frame, fire protection requirements, are used to attach the
cement-bonded wood fibre board, cavity framing closed composite floors to the service core.
off with lightweight, incombustible, composite aluminium The fire protection concept required the individual
elements. With no walls or columns inside the building, storeys to be separated from each other. A reinforced
users can subdivide the interior to suit their needs. concrete ring beam around each composite floor interrupts
the glulam facade columns at every floor. In the event
Simple plug-in connection of a fire on one floor, the concrete prevents the fire
The LCT system is designed with pinned joints, with the spreading to the next floor above or below via the timber
floors functioning as horizontal diaphragms with columns. The fire design of the composite floor was
shear-resistant connections and the facade columns as carried out to Eurocode 4 (REI). Cree GmbH carried out
pinned-end members. There are predefined points five series of laboratory tests to establish the fire
on the vertical service core for carrying the horizontal resistance. Four of the composite floors conceived with
loads of the prefabricated suspended floor elements different geometries were awarded test certificates
and transferring these to the foundations. The floor for fire resistance classes REI 90 (= F90) and REI 120
elements at 2.70 metres centre-to-centre are supported (= F120). So the composite floors satisfy all fire, acoustic,
Copyright © 2015. Birkhäuser. All rights reserved.
on unclad glued laminated timber columns integrated load-bearing, and appearance requirements.
into the facade which carry the loads from the floor ele-
ments down to the next twin timber column. As is Office building for Illwerke, Montafon
customary with forms of construction using prefabricated The new office complex for Vorarlberger Illwerke AG in
components, the twin columns are fixed to the floor Montafon, Austria, was built using the industrial building
elements and secured against pull-out by way of simple system field-tested on the prototype LCT One building.
plug-in tube / spigot connections. This principle behind The 120 metre long, 60 metre wide and 21 metre high
the structural carcass guarantees the dimensional structure – and with about 10 000 m² of usable floor area
stability of the building in the vertical direction and one of the world’s largest timber-based office buildings –
Lennartz, Marc Wilhelm, and Susanne Jacob-Freitag. New Architecture in Wood : Forms and Structures, Birkhäuser, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
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9 8
105
C D
Plannummer CAD Publikationsplan Projekt
106
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41
B
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This impression is reinforced by the exposed, load- Primary energy requirement and CO₂ footprint
bearing, twin timber columns, the built-in cupboards As was the target in the research project, the LCT form
in oak veneer around the periphery, and also the of construction achieves a significant increase in the
soffits, lined with a total of 100 kilometres of timber efficiency of the embodied energy, materials, and work.
slats produced from 76 tonnes of indigenous fir and Therefore, compared with conventional reinforced
spruce. The coherent interior architecture is rounded off concrete buildings, it was possible to improve the CO₂
by the uninterrupted views of the mountains in all footprint by some 90 per cent. That figure includes
directions through the generously sized, triple-glazed the emissions caused by the production, transport, erec-
wooden windows. tion, and upkeep during the envisaged fifty-year design
Lennartz, Marc Wilhelm, and Susanne Jacob-Freitag. New Architecture in Wood : Forms and Structures, Birkhäuser, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
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A → Illwerke office building, plan of ground floor
A
LCT One, Dornbirn, and IZM, Montafon
Ground floor
30
30
H H
A0
A0
H
27
30
30
30
30
B 3rd floor
108
C 3rd floor
Plannummer CAD Publikationsplan Projekt
Lennartz, Marc Wilhelm, and Susanne Jacob-Freitag. New Architecture in Wood : Forms and Structures, Birkhäuser, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
D E
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life (including deconstruction and disposal of the materials Illwerke building contains some 3000 m³ of timber,
of the structural carcass). This positive result is partly which corresponds to about 1030 m³ of solid timber –
due to the quantities of timber used: 280 m³ in LCT One – a quantity of timber with a carbon content of about
30 m³ of that in the form of wood-based panel products 257.50 tonnes, i.e. CO₂ sequestration amounting to more
and the structural solid timber in the facades and than 944 tonnes. More than half of the work involved
the other 250 m³ in the form of glued laminated timber in the construction of the Illwerke office building was
in the composite floors and facade columns. That carried out by local contractors and firms based in
corresponds to a carbon content (and wood is 50 per cent Vorarlberg. Two-thirds of the timber used was sourced
carbon) of about 70 tonnes, which results in CO₂ in Vorarlberg, or rather Montafon, and the other third
sequestration amounting to more than 257 tonnes. The came from southern Germany. mwl
Lennartz, Marc Wilhelm, and Susanne Jacob-Freitag. New Architecture in Wood : Forms and Structures, Birkhäuser, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
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Timber in the city and for Timber construction has
publicly assisted housing been returning to the urban
environment in recent
years. One example from
Austria also integrates
the social factor and demon-
strates the opportunities
for building publicly assisted,
ecological apartments.
Donaustadt, a district in Vienna with 150 000 inhabitants Schluder Architektur (seven-storey block) and Hagmüller
and an area of 10 000 hectares, now has a housing Architekten (three-storey wings). ‘Familie – Gemein-
complex that sets new standards even in this Alpine nützige Wohn- und Siedlungsgenossenschaft’, a housing
country well known for its timber buildings. There are association in Vienna, is behind the project and also
101 rented flats in this complex: 71 in a seven-storey manages and operates the complex. It trades under the
block parallel with Wagramer Straße and 30 in a trio of operative umbrella of a cooperatively organised com-
three-storey wings at the rear. The roadside block has pany, Sozialbau AG, Austria’s leading private housebuilding
a ground floor in reinforced concrete (to comply with enterprise. Sozialbau AG is dedicated to limited-profit-
111 fire protection stipulations) and above that six storeys making and publicly assisted housebuilding, and is
in a hybrid form of construction employing cross- based on three housing cooperatives: ‘Familie’, ‘Volksbau’,
laminated timber (CLT). Besides providing structural and and ‘Wohnbau’.
fire protection functions, the ground floor also contains The complex on Wagramer Straße is the first time
social amenities, which are intended to promote a that an urban construction project on this scale has
communal spirit and help the entire area to generate its been integrated in a socio-ecological timber construction
own identity. The substantial roadside building also context funded by the City of Vienna with public monies.
functions as a sort of screen against road noise and the The 101 apartments with floor areas between 62 and
commotion of the city. The three-storey wings, all 102 m² qualified for additional funding from the city author-
completely in timber, behind the roadside block benefit ities which is granted for low-income households and
from this screening, likewise the rear-facing rooms of for young families and / or those with many children. This
the seven-storey block. supplementary funding can be granted in addition
to the main funding and brings down monthly rents,
Cooperative construction project with although this extra funding is coupled to defined maxi-
additional funding mum income levels and the form of construction of the
Copyright © 2015. Birkhäuser. All rights reserved.
With six timber storeys, the apartment building on particular residential building. The funding is paid to
Wagramer Straße is Austria’s tallest residential building the developers, in this case the ‘Familie – Gemeinnützige
in timber. A competition for a preliminary timber design Wohn- und Siedlungsgenossenschaft’.
in an urban setting had been initiated in 2009 by
Vienna’s councillor for housing and urban development, High-quality materials and construction
Michael Ludwig, and Wohnfonds Wien, a non-profit- Every apartment in this low-energy complex has its own
making body promoting high-quality housing in the city. private open space in the form of a loggia, balcony,
Two architectural practices produced detailed designs or patio. There is also a mechanical ventilation system.
from the winning concepts: the Vienna-based architects Healthy linoleum floor coverings have been laid in the
A 2nd floor
DG
112 5.OG
4.OG
3.OG
2.OG
1.OG
EG
B Cross-section
rdgeschoß
Separate loggias
GSPublisherEngine 406.54.94.29
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kitchens; besides linseed oil, linoleum contains only saw- also enables a high level of automation during the
dust and cork granules, milled limestone, natural resins, production of the individual elements.
and pigments on a jute backing – all natural substances.
Wooden windows and ecologically approved plaster- Building with solid timber elements
board have been installed as well. A connection to the The seven-storey block is built from solid timber compo-
existing district heating network ensures a climate- nents. Both the load-bearing party walls and the non-
neutral energy supply for space heating and hot water. load-bearing external walls were built with 14 centimetre
Such high-quality materials and forms of construction thick CLT panels with a cross-banded lay-up. These
are generally reserved for the upmarket, homogeneous solid timber elements have no voids and exhibit good
gentrification projects of big, booming cities with dimensional stability and durability for a low self-
populations in the millions and are not found in hetero- weight and good insulation properties, which makes
geneous conurbations with low and medium incomes. them ideal for multi-storey residential and commercial
So this publicly funded and cooperatively organised timber buildings. Owing to the longer spans and the fire pro-
construction project has taken on a pioneering role tection requirements, timber-concrete composite
in urban planning. It demonstrates ways of tackling the elements have been used for the suspended floors and
current problem that affordable housing in urban and the load-bearing wall elements are clad in plasterboard.
suburban areas is in short supply and therefore also The three reinforced concrete stair and lift cores
makes a housebuilding policy statement. Thus, although positioned between the apartments provide the addi-
young families and families with many children are tional protected zones demanded by the fire protection
rare nowadays, they are not forced to leave Vienna’s regulations. At the same time they improve the overall
Donaustadt district. This presence of different age groups stability of the seven-storey block and carry the loads
and lifestyles fosters healthy urban development and down to the foundations. Bolts in elongated holes form
a good mix on the one hand. On the other, it enables the connections between the timber and concrete,
the vitality of youngsters growing up in town to add although the final fasteners were not installed until the
dynamic factors in the future. differential settlement of the blocks was complete.
The three-storey wings behind the main block are exclu-
Time as quality factor sively in cross-laminated timber. Only the access for
Time is seen as the crucial quality factor in modern the upper storeys requires concrete walkways. As the
building activities. Time-consuming, lengthy construction spans here are shorter, solid timber elements could
113 processes are extremely counter-productive in very be used for the suspended floors, too. These elements
dense urban environments with their very closely inter- are supported on the party and external walls and
linked and mutually dependent economic, logistical, and continue through from one apartment to the next.
social interactions. Such processes disrupt the overall
circulation and interfere with the speed of movement in Fire protection learning curve
an area that is thoroughly mobile but at the same time The fire protection concept was approved on the basis
suffers from a fragile transport policy. Therefore, of new technology dating from 2007, which for the
permanent building sites annoy not only residents, but first time defined the essential fire safety parameters
investors, transport planners, environmentalists, and for timber-based, multi-storey residential buildings
a city’s economists, too. It was also for these reasons in building regulations class 5 (i.e. max. 7 storeys). In
that modern timber design was chosen for the Wagramer line with the provisions of OIB Guideline 2 (OIB = Austrian
Straße project. The roadside block has six storeys Building Technology Institute), the load-bearing, encap-
assembled from prefabricated timber elements on top sulated components were tested in a furnace for
of a concrete ground floor. The structural carcass was 90 minutes at 1000°C. The components passed the test
finished in just three months. The high degree of prefab- without any problems and were granted approval.
Copyright © 2015. Birkhäuser. All rights reserved.
rication enabled a rational form of construction with Unfortunately, no test was carried out to establish whether
wall, floor, and roof elements factory-produced with the solid timber components would have withstood
millimetre precision which could then be quickly assem- the test without encapsulation; the results would have
bled on site so that the building could grow rapidly. supplied further valuable information. The objection
Modern engineered timber construction encourages often raised regarding timber buildings in urban envi-
this unitised modular form of construction and is ronments is the supposedly higher risk of fire. However,
working towards 100 per cent prefabrication. The great this is based more on psychological impressions
accuracy of the system elements is crucial here than on scientific findings. Fire tests in the laboratory
because it not only offers unlimited design options, but resulted in combustion rates of 18 millimetres in
Lennartz, Marc Wilhelm, and Susanne Jacob-Freitag. New Architecture in Wood : Forms and Structures, Birkhäuser, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
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30 minutes, 36 millimetres in 60 minutes and 54 milli- Methods of communication in timber
metres in 90 minutes. Even in a fully developed fire, a The Wagramer Straße complex confirms the trend towards
solid timber column retains its full load-bearing capacity multi-storey, timber-based (residential) buildings in urban
for a very long time before – in contrast to a steel and suburban areas. Nevertheless, it appears odd to
structure – it collapses as predicted. Very often the approv- hide the warm, natural, and, for most people, positive
ing authorities lack experience in this respect. There- effects of wooden surfaces behind plasterboard and
fore, preliminary talks with those responsible for fire cement when our towns and cities have had to endure
protection are necessary when those persons are cold and grey steel and concrete facades for decades.
(still) unfamiliar with modern engineered timber con- It is now time to use the rediscovery of wood as a chance
struction. Encapsulation increases the cost of con- to give our towns and cities new methods of commu-
struction unnecessarily and robs the building of the look nication. Timber presents opportunities to employ alter-
and feel of wood. native material, surface, and design vocabularies that
promise social warmth, homes, and hospitality within an
ecological framework. mwl
Apartment building, Wagramer Straße, Vienna
114
www.teamgmi.com
115
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116
Copyright © 2015. Birkhäuser. All rights reserved.
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A milestone in multi- The Canols staff hostel has
storey timber residential been built on the site of the
building old hostel at 1500 metres
above sea level at the foot
of the Parpaner Rothorn
mountain in the Canton of
Graubünden. It is the first
six-storey timber accommo-
dation-style building in
which the wooden surfaces
have been left exposed
both inside and outside.
Starting in the valley, the Rothorn cable cars take tourists their south-west orientation with a view of the Rothorn
via an intermediate station to the western summit, and the lake at the foot of that mountain, the Heidsee.
117 where there is a panorama restaurant and sun deck. Moreover, the incoming daylight suits the size of the
Tourism-dependent businesses, like those of cable rooms, and the inward-opening windows of the upper
car operator Lenzerheide Bergbahnen AG, require accom- floors can be opened over the full width of the room.
modation for seasonal staff near the cable car stations. The corridors have been kept deliberately narrow without
In this case an investor has provided the new Canols staff any daylight so that residents do not hang around,
hostel. A total of sixty-eight workers can be accommo- possibly creating disturbing noise. The doors to the single
dated in the thirteen double and forty-two single rooms. and double rooms lead off from the corridors, neatly
The large volume of this rectangular block fits in well arranged in shallow recesses that function as small
with the existing buildings belonging to the cable car entrance lobbies and break up the uniform lines of the
company. This six-storey utility building, made primarily corridors. Communal amenities are located on the
of indigenous spruce, is a powerful statement in ground floor. There is a common room with oak furniture
favour of sustainability in the Alps. In order that the and large windows fitted flush with the external leaf
workers enjoy their short stay in their little 15 m² single which provide a link with the outside world. The occu-
rooms, the designers have left the walls and soffits pants can also cook for themselves or in groups in a
as untreated wooden surfaces. In addition, the building shared kitchen, and every room is allocated a cupboard
Copyright © 2015. Birkhäuser. All rights reserved.
is based on a diffusion-permeable concept, which ensures for food and drinks in a separate larder.
a suitable, pleasant interior climate. A vapour barrier
in the building envelope and mechanical ventilation are Diversity of timber construction
unnecessary with such a concept, which reduced the cost All floors have the same plan layout and so loads are
of the building and cuts the cost of future maintenance. carried consistently and without any discontinuity.
However, the design does take account of different
Well-conceived interior layout requirements and specifications. For structural and fire
Although at first sight the number of windows and their protection reasons, the stairs / lift shaft and ground
size might seem meagre, this is compensated for by floor are in reinforced concrete. These areas also house
to glulam ribs, with the soffit boards, like the walls, in regulations, which only came into force on 1 January
facing quality. Such elements are suitable for multi-storey 2015. The main fire protection measures required by the
residential buildings because although they have a low approval were as follows:
self-weight and low depth, they are still suitable for – A sprinkler installation providing full protection
long spans. The voids are filled with a mineral insulation. throughout the building
A fleece, paving slabs, and mineral impact sound insu- – A system of fire detectors monitoring the entire
lation guarantee the necessary sound insulation and building
fire protection for the suspended floors. A sliding detail – A smoke and heat extraction system
has been used for the junctions between the underside – Construction of the timber external wall, including
118 of the suspended floors and the partitions separating cladding, according to Swiss Lignum Documentation
the rooms. The flat roof is finished with 50 millimetres of Fire Protection 7.1: ‘External walls – construction
loose gravel. The building’s stability is guaranteed and cladding’
by the service core at the southern end, the CLT north – Classification of the building in Swiss quality control
wall, the suspended floors, and the roof. All floors and stage Q 4, supervised and checked by a specialist
internal and external walls include mineral insulation. The engineer according to Swiss Lignum Documentation
timber facade that distinguishes this building is made 2.1: ‘Building with timber – quality control in fire
of a single layer of 21 millimetre thick tongue and protection’
groove boards made of local spruce. They were given – A safety clearance of at least 7.5 metres to adjacent
a grey patina in advance by applying a thin varnish buildings
because the different sides of the building are exposed Whereas the mineral ground floor and service core were
to different weather conditions, which would have built to class REI 60 fire resistance standard, the load-
hindered the formation of a uniform grey colour. bearing timber members of the upper floors are class
R 60. The suspended floors and corridor walls form fire
Short construction time was deciding factor compartments and had to comply with class EI 60
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The high degree of prefabrication led to the comparatively requirements because of their timber construction, but
short construction time of just eight months. A total the partitions separating the individual rooms are
of 335 wall and 145 floor elements, including the sprinkler only EI 30 because of the full sprinkler installation. The
installation in the suspended floors, were factory- window frames, clad in tin-plated, non-rusting stain-
prefabricated. During this work the visible, load-bearing less steel, continue as fire stops around the entire building,
CLT facing to the timber-frame construction was glued forming a symmetrical feature, a frame typifying the
under pressure directly to the glulam ribs. This there- timber structure, which is broken up by the window open-
fore satisfies the aesthetic requirements regarding the ings. This highly visible fire protection measure is a
surfaces – the spruce had to remain visible – and the symbolic vanguard for modern, multi-storey construction
Lennartz, Marc Wilhelm, and Susanne Jacob-Freitag. New Architecture in Wood : Forms and Structures, Birkhäuser, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
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A
119
B
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C → The
corridors, illuminated by artificial light only,
have been kept deliberately narrow to discourage
groups from congregating, avoiding the associated
noise; they are, however, slightly wider at the
entrance doors to the rooms.
Lennartz, Marc Wilhelm, and Susanne Jacob-Freitag. New Architecture in Wood : Forms and Structures, Birkhäuser, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
C
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in timber which displays this established building 1600 kilowatts. An oil-fired boiler and two further
material internally and externally, and does not hide it emergency boilers are available as backups and to bridge
behind cladding and lining, as was usual in the past. maintenance times. The annual consumption of wood
chippings is 18 000 standard cubic metres, which results
Indigenous, renewable raw materials for structure in a CO2-saving of 3000 tonnes compared with fossil
and energy supply fuels. By using the group heating network solution,
The Lenzerheide region has a communal heating Canols hostel, with a 62 kilowatt connection, saved the
association that covers the space heating and hot water cost of installing its own heating system and the asso-
requirements of residential buildings and businesses ciated chimney plus the regular cleaning by a chimney
centrally via a group heating network. The base and sweep. This construction project and its energy
peak loads are covered by two wood chippings-fired / supply policy fulfil the criteria for Switzerland’s envisaged
wood-gasification boilers with outputs of 2500 and 2000-watt society. mwl
Canols staff hostel, Lenzerheide
120
No. of storeys 6
Volume 5550 m³ A >> Plan of 3rd floor (typical for all residential floors)
121
B Ground floor
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C D
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Organic timber construction Wood, as a renewable
in an urban setting material, was more than
ever a focus of attention at
the International Building
Exhibition (IBA) in Hamburg.
One defining structure
integrated this idea into
a post-modern architec-
tural setting.
The name says it all: Wälderhaus (Forest House). Inside plants. Behind the parapet, plant tubs containing indig-
and outside, it keeps its promise – wood, forest, and enous hornbeam trees provide an apt frame rounding
an abundance of nature. The asymmetric form of this off the building at the top. Some 9500 trees and bushes
striking building lends it an organic vitality; it is a create a green roof densely planted with essentially
successful symbiosis of its usage, its materials, and its natural vegetation – a ‘breathing’ insulating layer that
design language. Each of the five floors of this 21 metre keeps the building cool in summer and warm in winter.
high multifunctional building steps back to some degree. In addition, the layer of plants insulates against external
There are three storeys in cross-laminated timber noise to some extent. The plants also remove fine
123 (CLT) on top of two storeys in concrete. In his design, the particles and pollutants from the air and their growth
architect Andreas Heller heeded the maxim ‘form through photosynthesis optimises the CO₂ footprint.
follows function’. The leitmotif shaping the architecture As not all of the rainwater is drained from the roof,
here was the forest – jagged and layered, with the it can evaporate from the large area of vegetation
set-back upper storeys reminiscent of the dynamic form and thus cool the air and improve the microclimate. This
and differentiated structure of a roughly chopped tree cooling effect also contributes to improving the output
trunk. With its unusual outline and spatial diversity, of the photovoltaic installation on the roof. Photovoltaic
the Wälderhaus forms an imposing gateway to the new panels reach their optimum efficiency with a solar cell
Wilhelmsburg Island Park. Visitors are treated to seminar, temperature of about 25°C. The energy yield drops by
exhibition, restaurant, and hotel functions on almost about 0.33 to 0.5 per cent per degree Celsius rise in cell
6000 m² of gross floor area under one roof. The client, temperature, which leads to losses during the summer
the forestry conservation charity Schutzgemeinschaft months, when yields should reach their maximum. Hot
Deutscher Wald e.V., uses the building as its new weather causes the cell temperature to rise, and hence
headquarters, refinancing the cost of building by letting its resistance as well, which reduces the electrical out-
the various functional units. put. The cooling effect of the green roof helps to ensure
Copyright © 2015. Birkhäuser. All rights reserved.
made of certified spruce sourced in Germany, Austria, using a thermal transfer fluid. A reversible heat pump
and Finland have been left exposed internally. Cross- compresses and uses this energy for space heating
laminated timber (CLT) panels are made of several and producing hot water in winter, cooling in summer.
layers of planks with a 90-degree cross-banded lay-up This type of building energy supply is especially
and can carry in-plane or out-of-plane loads. These environmentally friendly and climate-neutral because
solid timber panels are especially suitable for load-bearing there are no emissions. In addition, the photovoltaic
functions because their cross-banded form makes panels on the green roof generate more electricity than
124 them very stable and enables them to carry loads in the the heat pumps need. On the first two floors the heat
principal load-bearing direction and also transverse to it. is distributed via low-energy underfloor heating to
In addition, the solid timber elements have no voids and provide the necessary background heating and also via
so guarantee a safe structure in a standardised quality. the ventilation. On the hotel floors (second, third, and
Prefabrication of the wall and floor elements enabled the fourth), the heat is distributed via the ventilation
timber construction phase on site to be completed and the heated towel rails in the bathrooms. Some 80
quickly according to a detailed timetable and without per cent of the light fittings contain economical LED
delays. The individual elements were lifted into position lamps; only in areas requiring permanent lighting have
quiet, with a crane before being bolted together – clean energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps been in-
and dry operations. In the timber storeys, the wall stalled. The public toilets make use of water-saving
construction with its ventilation cavity varies in thickness three-litre technology. Owing to the high natural insulating
between 70 and 150 centimetres according to the geo- effect of solid timber, the upper three storeys achieve
metrical configuration of the particular facade zone. the passive-house energy standard.
From inside to outside, the walls consist of 135 millimetre
thick solid timber CLT panels with their joints sealed A first for Hamburg building class 5
Copyright © 2015. Birkhäuser. All rights reserved.
airtight, a vapour barrier, the prefabricated frame of solid The building services concept includes a mechanical,
structural timber sections, and twin-web beams with individually controlled ventilation system with heat
an infill of 200 millimetre thick rock wool insulation recovery. However, the windows can still be opened – a
closed off with hardboard. The latter provides a base for concern that is expressed again and again in the age
the diffusion-permeable waterproof sheeting and at the of ever more airtight building envelopes. As the client
same time creates a water run-off layer. The facade wanted to clad the building entirely in timber and leave
is finished with a framework of solid structural timber wooden surfaces exposed on the inside, too, the
sections to which larch sheathing is attached. Together, designers turned to what was then the new European
they create the geometry for the polygonal facade and design provisions (Eurocode) for the fire design. So
Lennartz, Marc Wilhelm, and Susanne Jacob-Freitag. New Architecture in Wood : Forms and Structures, Birkhäuser, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4229334.
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A
125
Copyright © 2015. Birkhäuser. All rights reserved.
3. OG
A
Wälderhaus, Hamburg
126 B
M=1:150
3rd floor
1. OG
Client’s
offices ‘Forum Wald’ (facilities for Hall for events
events / seminars)
Seminar rooms
C
Copyright © 2015. Birkhäuser. All rights reserved.
1st floor
127
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Sustainable building in The world’s first multi-
an urban environment storey, solid timber building
intended for an urban
setting was built at the
International Building
Exhibition (IBA) in Hamburg.
About 90 per cent of the
‘Woodcube’ is pure timber,
and neither surfaces
nor structure are hidden.
The timber buildings renaissance has reached our towns Stable structural connection
and cities. When it comes to timber construction, The Woodcube was constructed using the Austrian Thoma
Hamburg has had little experience up to now. So this Holz100 system of prefabricated wall, floor, and roof
new building opens up new opportunities provided by elements. Owing to the high degree of prefabrication, it
the IBA’s socio-ecological orientation. The 15 metre was possible to erect the timber structural carcass
high timber cube contains eight apartments with floor within four weeks. The solid timber elements were posi-
129 areas between 70 and 190 m² on five storeys. tioned on the basement around the central stair and
lift core (built in reinforced concrete to satisfy fire pro-
A new idea in post-modern urban planning tection requirements and to brace the entire building).
The idea of the Woodcube evolved out of an architectural Each element consists of four substantial layers of
competition. The design by the Institut für urbanen boards made of spruce and fir. Various board layers are
Holzbau (IFUH, urban timber building institute), headed laid horizontally, vertically, and diagonally either side of
by Philipp Koch, was selected to be built at the IBA in a layer of 80 millimetres squared sections to form compact
Hamburg. Initiator and project developer Matthias Korff building components. The 24 millimetre thick boards
took on this building project, which has resulted in the are fixed with relatively dry beech dowels that, lightly
first fully ecological, solid timber, five-storey structure. moistened, are pressed hydraulically into the layers
He appointed Architekturagentur Stuttgart to modify of boards. Afterwards, the dowels swell, tightening them
the original hybrid design and remove all foil, sheeting, in the direction of the marginally more moist softwood.
encapsulation, building chemicals, paints, glues, and Owing to the different moisture contents of the hardwood
man-made insulating materials from the timber struc- dowels and the softwood boards, a stable structural
ture. Any risks to health and the environment due to connection ensues throughout the entire component.
Copyright © 2015. Birkhäuser. All rights reserved.
natural oil and sawdust. The result is a ‘stationary layer analysis was carried out according to the stipulations
of air’ that increases the insulating effect of the overall of the DGNB certification system. And the result shows
element without increasing its weight. The Woodcube’s that both the construction and the operation of the
wall construction complies with the low-energy standard. Woodcube are CO₂-neutral and free from pollutants.
The thermal conductivity of the grooved layers of
boards is just 0.079 W/mK compared with the 0.13 W/mK Interior climate and healthy living
130 of softwood without grooves – a record. The U-value The cradle-to-cradle system behind the single-material,
of the wall is 0.19 W/m²K. The solid floors and external unitised form of construction from Austria has earned
walls also guarantee structural stability. it a gold certificate from the Cradle to Cradle Products
One constructional feature demonstrates the oppor- Innovation Institute. In addition, the timber used is
tunities of modern timber buildings: the 23 centimetre sourced from sustainable forests and harvested in the
thick suspended timber floors and the balcony floors winter during a waning moon phase. The higher den-
are one and the same element; it extends from the rein- sity and pest-resistance of this type of wood has been
forced concrete core across the interior and passes confirmed by ETH Zurich. All the materials used in the
through the external walls, without forming a thermal timber cube can be fully recycled, are biodegradable, and
bridge, since timber has such a poor thermal conductivity. are unobjectionable in building biology terms. The occu-
As the loads are carried by the external walls, no pants benefit from this as well as from the interior
further columns or load-bearing walls are needed inside climate, which in a solid timber building varies over the
the building, which means that floor layouts can be ideal relative humidity range of thirty-five to fifty-five
designed to suit individual requirements. Therefore, per cent. This is because solid, untreated timber is diffusion-
lightweight, metal-framed partitions filled with acoustic, permeable, i.e. it absorbs excess moisture from the air,
Copyright © 2015. Birkhäuser. All rights reserved.
mineral insulation and finished with gypsum fibreboard stores this and only releases it back into the interior air as
were chosen for the interior because they occupy required, or discharges it outside in the event of saturation.
little space and can be moved around or even taken down Throughout this building with 900 m² floor area, a
completely to suit changing interior requirements. networked energy management system minimises and
optimises consumption and matches it to the behaviour
Holistic building philosophy of individual users. For example, the heating, decen-
The Woodcube more or less reaches the passive-house tralised ventilation with heat recovery and window blinds
energy standard and is 22 per cent lower than the are controlled automatically, even switched off com-
requirements needed to qualify for funding under the pletely when the occupants are absent for longer. The
Lennartz, Marc Wilhelm, and Susanne Jacob-Freitag. New Architecture in Wood : Forms and Structures, Birkhäuser, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4229334.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2018-02-05 19:52:33.
A
131
Copyright © 2015. Birkhäuser. All rights reserved.
Sheathing
Wood fibre insulating board (spruce / fir)
A
Woodcube, Hamburg
132
3rd floor
low-energy standard.
E → The
air-filled grooves between the layers of boards
improve the insulating effect of the solid timber
elements without increasing their weight or volume.
F → The
timber floor, wall and roof elements are
grouped around the central reinforced concrete stair
and lift core.
Lennartz, Marc Wilhelm, and Susanne Jacob-Freitag. New Architecture in Wood : Forms and Structures, Birkhäuser, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4229334.
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consumption figures of every individual energy consumer, regulations called for. However, a team from Darmstadt
including lights, are logged in a terminal so that all University led by Prof. Karsten Tichelmann was appointed
occupants know their electricity consumption and can by the developer to carry out their own fire tests to
try to reduce this if necessary. Communal areas such prove that the solid timber structure does not require any
as basement, lobby, and stairs are illuminated with 1 watt fire protection measures. The tests established that the
LED lamps and the lift is fitted with a braking energy fire resistance of the solid timber elements is three
recovery system. to five times longer than that of concrete or clay brick
structures. The 90 minute (F 90) fire resistance (uninter-
Fire protection requirements more than satisfied rupted exposure at 1000°C) required for building regu-
One intrinsic component in the philosophy of the Wood- lations class 4 was achieved without any problems;
cube is not encapsulating the wood or concealing it indeed, the special prototype design even achieved F 180
behind facades made of other materials or covering it standard – which could be a record. Therefore, the timber
with intumescent paint or installing expensive sprinklers. elements in the Woodcube could remain uncovered,
And that was exactly what Hamburg’s 1995 fire protection and sprinklers or intumescent paint were unnecessary. mwl
Lennartz, Marc Wilhelm, and Susanne Jacob-Freitag. New Architecture in Wood : Forms and Structures, Birkhäuser, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4229334.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2018-02-05 19:52:33.