Case Studies of Innovative Glulam Homes
Glulam (glued laminated timber) has become an increasingly popular material used for both residential and commercial construction projects, due to the unique construction techniques that allow its wide array of architectural possibilities.
This project adds a 6,000-square-foot rooftop addition to an existing two-story mixed-use commercial building, utilizing mass timber glulam posts and beams with CLT floor slabs as part of an innovative roof design.
1. Westend Apartments
Upper West Side living has never been so luxurious! This award-winning CetraRuddy Architecture masterpiece provides residents with all that city living has to offer – just steps away from Lincoln Center arts and performance venues, the Museum of Natural History and Columbus Circle shopping.
This two-story community hub provides office space for Indigenous-led organizations and programs, two floors of interim supportive housing, a rooftop garden/farm for program participants to grow food on, as well as mass timber glulam beams/purlins left visible inside to emphasize natural surfaces of this project.
Unlearn more about this groundbreaking wood frame structure by downloading its case study on Designers Circle. Simply click below for accessing this free download!
2. Winfield Gate
When architects and builders seek to add open space or achieve a specific aesthetic, glulam beams offer the perfect solution. Made from wood-based structural material, glulam beams offer both beauty and strength; making it the ideal choice for homes featuring open-concept living areas, porches or cathedral ceilings.
Glulam (glued laminated timber) is an engineered wood product created by bonding together layers of dimensioned lumber using moisture-resistant adhesives. Compared to solid sawn lumber, glulam boasts strong grain patterns that are uniform across its entirety for aesthetic use and can even be shaped to suit design-forward architecture. Furthermore, its higher strength-to-weight ratio makes it an excellent construction choice for high-rise buildings.
Gulam beams have long been used in commercial, industrial and public structures due to their versatility. Notable examples include Seville’s Metropol Parasol which employs interlocking glulam beams to form its distinctive roof; also Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre in Surrey Canada uses them extensively as part of their structure.
Glulam also offers significant environmental advantages over steel: it is harvested using sustainable forestry practices such as selective logging and replanting to preserve natural forest ecosystems, plus corrosion is less likely while being resistant to fire and insects.
Another effective way glulam can help increase sustainability ratings is to combine it with other materials like steel. A hybrid structural system like this one can harness each material’s strengths while still remaining cost-effective for projects on tight budgets.
Glulam industry innovation continues to advance and new technologies are improving performance and applications. Digital fabrication enables precise and complex cuts to be made, which can simplify assembly processes. Prefabricated beams delivered and assembled on-site can also save construction costs while requiring less modification on-site and thus speeding up construction time. Furthermore, an advanced type of shear connector designed for mid-span shear transfer has recently been created that can significantly lower both axial force in shear keys as well as overall bridge loads by this innovation.
3. Wood Innovation and Design Centre
Wood Innovation and Design Centre (WIDC), at 29.5 meters tall (6 stories plus ground-floor mezzanine and rooftop mechanical penthouse), was constructed to showcase mass timber construction–particularly engineered wood products such as cross-laminated timber (CLT), glue laminated timber (glulam), laminated veneer lumber (LVL), parallel strand lumber panels and plywood panels–and their potential to achieve higher-rise construction with reduced carbon emissions. The WIDC project proved its effectiveness through higher rise construction without increasing carbon emissions by 97%!
WIDC’s boxy form was deliberately restrained to bring attention to the beauty and details of various wood species and their details, all sourced from British Columbia’s sustainable forests. WIDC features a mix of spruce, Douglas-fir, western red cedar and hemlock woods sourced from this sustainable environment; built-up CLT floor panels and glulam columns make up its innovative structure for long lifecycle and load resistance; it uses „dry construction,” which virtually eliminates concrete above foundation levels while permitting easily disassembling components before reuse at end-life of functional building lifecycle for reuse at end-of-use; WIDC utilizes built-up CLT floor panels with built-up CLT floor panels constructed on post and beam foundations designed for load resistance and long life cycle requirements; WIDC uses this unique structure design is designed with prefabricated components preassembled within manufacturing facility before disassembling them again for reuse when building ends functional lifecycle ends – another innovation designed by WIDC designers at WIDC designed with dry construction techniques so as not to use concrete above foundation; this allows custom prefab components disassembled for reuse after building end of functional use by the building’s functional life cycle and disassembled for reuse at end-lifetime for reuse at end-lifetime; see WIDC.
PCL served as general contractor on this groundbreaking Canadian wood construction project – a first of its kind and an essential milestone towards expanding large-scale wood construction. Though complex in construction terms, PCL and their team overcame any issues by early and frequent communication and collaboration with project stakeholders.
This project proved to be a learning experience for all parties involved, and served as an excellent demonstration of why preconstruction plays such an integral part in successful offsite projects. By taking time to understand and incorporate stakeholders’ needs into our plan for executing it efficiently and within budget, we were able to successfully carry out work efficiently and on schedule.
We aim for this building to serve as a showcase for wood, and hope to see it inspire other architects, engineers and developers around the globe to consider CLT as an alternative to steel and concrete in building taller. By showing that wood construction can be cost-effective and safe alternative we hope to expand its industry while decreasing its climate change impact.
4. Saunalahti School
Glulam beams’ ability to be bent into curves and complex forms opens up design options in residential and commercial buildings that would otherwise be difficult or impossible with traditional materials. Furthermore, their dimensions make fabrication off-site quick and precise – streamlining construction process as well as cutting costs with reduced delivery times and labor needs.
Glulam is a more eco-friendly building material than solid wood due to the fact that it can be made using smaller logs from second and third-growth forests, guaranteeing a sustainable supply of raw materials for manufacture. Utilizing glulam in construction stimulates economic growth in both the forestry industry as well as manufacturing and building industries that support it.
Glulam differs significantly from solid wood in that it is much denser and boasts superior insulation properties, meaning glulam structures will stay cooler in summer and warmer in winter, while using less energy to heat or cool them. Furthermore, its strength (three times stronger than steel!) makes glulam structures cost-efficient as it allows larger sizes with smaller frame members to be constructed easily.
Glulam offers another advantage over solid wood: minimal shrinkage. This can provide significant cost savings on foundations and framing projects, while eliminating waiting periods before permanent fixtures and insulation can be installed. However, regular maintenance must still take place to protect glulam from moisture damage and pests; using Protek wood preservative should ensure healthy and protected wood structures.
Architects are increasingly turning to glulam in modern buildings as it has proven itself a cost-efficient material with a long lifecycle and aesthetic qualities that add visual interest. Plus, its environmentally conscious owners and developers may see its addition as increasing sustainability ratings as well as market value of buildings constructed using it.