Benefits of Building With Glulam Timber
Glulam is an engineered wood product comprised of wood laminations bonded together using durable, moisture-resistant structural adhesives. Available both as stock sections and custom sizes with four appearance classifications (framing, industrial, architectural and premium), it adds both beauty and strength to your project.
Greener than steel and other materials which consume natural resources, it makes an eco-friendly statement about your commitment to sustainability.
Durability
Glulam is designed to withstand large loads for years without suffering significant wear. Plus, its design makes it an environmentally-friendly construction option: no depletion of natural resources and reduced energy use during manufacturing compared to wood or steel alternatives.
Glulam is best-known for its stunning exposed applications like vaulted ceilings and designs with open spaces; you’ll find it in homes, churches, office buildings, and light commercial structures alike. But it can also be found in more concealed uses like purlins, ridge beams, garage door headers and floor beams – and it remains just as effective.
Engineered timber is created from small pieces of seasoned, stress-graded lumber bonded together using moisture-resistant structural adhesives for strength and consistency. As such, its strength far surpasses solid sawn timber and it’s less susceptible to movement from changes in moisture content.
Due to their unique manufacturing process, glulam members can be designed with complex shapes and long lengths not possible with solid sawn timber – this allows designers to achieve more open, spacious interiors by making more efficient use of materials.
Gulam is not only strong and durable; it is also easy to work with and offers great stability. Furthermore, its flexibility makes it ideal for creating curvier designs such as arched rooflines. You can easily shape it either manually or using machine tools on-site.
Glulam has become the go-to material for bridges and elevated pedestrian walkways in British Columbia, such as the Kingsway Pedestrian Bridge. Thanks to its durability, strength, and beauty it makes an excellent choice for waterfront bridges that need to withstand heavy traffic as well as extreme environmental conditions – unlike concrete it naturally resists corrosion from road de-icing salt used during road de-icing processes.
Lightweight
Glulam can be made into large, curved sections to allow for unique structural designs without needing supporting beams. Furthermore, its high level of dimensional stability means it is less vulnerable to changes in moisture. As such, this material makes for an excellent choice in curved and long span buildings as well as structures requiring strength and reliability.
Glulam, unlike steel, is an eco-friendly building material. As a renewable resource that can be harvested from sustainably managed forests, glulam uses less energy during construction and requires significantly less maintenance than its alternatives such as steel and concrete structures. Furthermore, this material boasts corrosion- and abrasion-resistance, along with excellent fireproofing qualities which won’t suffer the same type of damage as non-protected steel structures would.
Gulam not only offers strength and sustainability but also aesthetic advantages. This material can be used in various architectural styles – including exposed beams and vaulted ceilings – as well as stained or painted for desired looks. Furthermore, custom components can be produced using this material such as roof trusses and floor decking.
Glulam is an ideal material to build heavy trusses from, as its strength allows it to support large loads evenly distributed over a surface area. Furthermore, its versatile nature and aesthetic qualities make glulam the preferred choice among contractors seeking durable yet eco-friendly projects. Contact Binkley Construction now to discover more ways glulam can benefit your next endeavor!
Strength
Glued laminated timber (glulam) is an innovative construction material known for its strength. Pound for pound, it outshines steel in terms of tensile strength while possessing greater stiffness than comparably-sized dimension lumber.
Glulam differs from sawn lumber in that it consists of individual wood pieces called laminations that are finger-jointed and then adhered together with weatherproof structural adhesives to form larger section sizes and longer lengths than seen from sawn lumber production, while it can be produced both straight or curved shapes.
Designers find that glulam’s adaptable shape and size offer limitless design possibilities, from creating intricate curved structures that stand out to vaulted ceiling designs with wide open spaces.
Gulam not only adds visual appeal to projects, but its strength is an invaluable asset for architects and engineers. Gulam’s ability to bear large loads makes it the ideal material choice for roof systems such as flat and domed roofs as well as garage door headers, floor beams and cantilevers.
Glulam’s outstanding strength and versatility makes it an excellent choice for all kinds of commercial buildings, from office towers to wedding chapels – strong and beautiful glulam structures will help your structure meet today’s construction challenges.
Versatility
People often think of timber framing in terms of massive solid timbers joined with traditional mortise and tenon joinery. Timbercraft uses these traditional pieces in some projects for added character; we also utilize engineered wood products like glulam (glued laminated timber).
Glulam beams are stress-rated engineered wood beams constructed by laminating multiple laminations of dimension lumber, known as lams, together using moisture resistant adhesives. Available both custom and stock sizes, glulam can be formed into straight or curved members for long span roof and floor systems, arched entries or artistic architectural features.
As opposed to more conventional building materials, glulam offers more sustainable options. Sourced from sustainably managed forests and manufactured with minimal waste byproducts, glulam contributes towards environmentally conscious construction practices while being stronger and more stable than its alternatives such as steel making it the superior structural choice for projects of all kinds.
Gulam can also be found in bridges, waterfront structures, and industrial buildings – not only residential ones. Take for instance the Kingsway Pedestrian Bridge in Burnaby BC built almost entirely from pressure-treated glulam for its supporting piers and walking deck – the structure is expected to stand for over 100 years!
Construction bridges with glulam typically utilizes this material due to its durability and aesthetic qualities, including its attractive appearance. Glulam stands out as being more attractive than concrete and steel structures, with natural finishes to match its surroundings and the strength needed to support heavy loads for extended periods.
Sustainability
As construction industry trends move towards sustainable design and building materials, glulam is becoming an ideal material choice. Eco-friendly in nature, made from responsibly harvested wood and produced with minimal waste; strong, durable and visually pleasing; highly versatile offering load bearing benefits making it suitable for heavy truss applications as well as large commercial projects.
Glulam’s low-carbon manufacturing process is significantly less energy intensive than traditional concrete and steel production methods, while its natural insulating properties allow it to consume significantly less energy over its service life. When combined with high performance envelopes, glulam buildings can reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 25% while remaining fire-safe to protect both occupants and structural members from potential harm.
Gulam’s strength and durability also lead to lower maintenance costs over the long term, lowering foundation requirements while simultaneously cutting excavation and labor expenses. Plus, its resistance to chemicals and rust allows it to be used in harsh environments such as animal hide curing complexes, fellmongerys, and fertiliser storage facilities.
Studies have also shown that glued laminated timber structures have lower Global Warming Potentials than equivalent steel and concrete structures due to its use of renewable raw materials, low-carbon manufacturing practices, operational energy savings from thermal performance improvements and circular strategies at end-of-life. Furthermore, studies indicate glulam has higher building circularity indicators compared with concrete and steel buildings.