New directions in mid-rise timber construction

Traditional timber framing and building systems are revolutionising the design and construction sector, and the dollars and cents are beginning to stack up.

“An environmentally-aware solution is always the most affordable solution in the long term,” says architect and acclaimed expert in the use of cross-laminated timber (CLT), Andrew Waugh (pictured).

The founding director of London-based Waugh Thistleton Architects, Waugh says working with timber can take “more construction off the building site and into factory conditions, but not at the expense of design or quality”.

Waugh, who is visiting Australia for the Green Cities conference, was the brains behind the nine-storey, 29-apartment Stadthaus in Hackney – the world’s first high density mid-rise residential building to be built from CLT panels.

Stadthaus was completed in 49 weeks, which Waugh Thistleton estimates saved five months when compared with a concrete frame construction. The reduced impact on site was particularly impressive. Four carpenters assembled the eight-storey structure in just 27 days.

“It’s a far safer construction method, as timber is a non-toxic material. There are no fumes or dust, no heavy power tools working. It offers a much better working environment,” Waugh says.

Waugh Thistleton’s latest timber project, Dalston Lane in North London, is set to become the tallest CLT building in the UK. This 10-storey, 121-unit development will use more structural timber than any other project in the world. The project will provide significant residential capacity of more than 12,0 sqm, as well as 3,460 sqm of commercial space.

By reducing the amount of concrete required, the project is expected to save 2,400 tonnes of carbon when compared with an equivalent block with a concrete frame. The building also weighs a fifth of a concrete building of similar size, and the number of deliveries required during construction have been slashed by 80 per cent.

The result is a building with lower impact on the planet, and on the people who live and work around the site.

“Mid-rise timber towers are the perfect buildings to construct in the middle of a city,” Waugh adds.

Andrew Waugh will be joining TZANNES’ Jonathan Evans at a WoodSolutions seminar in Brisbane tomorrow, Thursday 9 March. Tickets are still available.