Energy Efficiency in Glulam Homes
Glulam’s strength and durability makes it the ideal material for modern homes, while its ability to be formed into intricate curves or trusses enables architects and engineers to craft homes that reflect their personal aesthetic visions.
Comparative Life Cycle Assessment studies revealed that glulam structures outperformed steel and concrete alternatives in multiple impact categories, boasting significantly lower carbon footprint profiles from cradle to grave compared with traditional construction solutions due to forest certification schemes, low-carbon energy sources, and optimized logistical networks.
Strong and Durable
Glulam is strong and durable enough to withstand the stresses of daily life, making it an excellent long-term material choice. Furthermore, its environmental credentials make glulam an eco-friendly construction choice; with its lower carbon footprint than steel or concrete construction options. Plus its wood base makes recycling easier at its end of service life; plus glulam sequesters carbon dioxide from the atmosphere naturally making it an excellent option for projects seeking sustainability certifications such as LEED.
Glulam also provides natural insulation properties, helping keep buildings warm in winter and cool in summer, thus reducing energy and insulation costs, making an glulam home an economical way of living.
Another key advantage of glulam houses is their efficiency in production; producing them requires only a fraction of the energy and labor used by steel and concrete production processes, plus construction is much quicker, providing more time to focus on design and finishes. Their accuracy also means contractors are less likely to encounter delays due to inaccurate or inconsistent measurements which translates to significant savings both time and money.
Durability of glulam is further increased by its insensitivity to structural materials like concrete and steel, unlike their counterparts which are susceptible to the same issues. Steel corrosion can damage metal struts more readily; with proper care glulam can last decades with minimal maintenance requirements. Type of timber used, glue used and preservative chosen all contribute to its longevity.
Gulam’s ability to be formed and molded presents creative designers with endless design opportunities. From modern art museums with flowing lines and curves to church trusses with intricate truss structures, glulam offers endless creative potential in building structures of any shape and size imaginable. Plus, its natural look brings warmth and comfort while connecting occupants to nature’s strength.
Energy-Efficient
Timber as a building material has quickly gained in popularity as an eco-friendly alternative to steel and concrete structures, due to its ability to regulate temperature; wood provides warmth during winter and coolness during summer, leading to reduced energy expenses while creating an enjoyable indoor climate for occupants.
Glulam is produced by layering up structural-grade timber that has been kiln-dried in an assembly process and adhering them together using durable adhesives, providing strength without warp or twist. As it is less likely to twist, shrink, or warp than solid timber it lowers maintenance costs while prolonging longevity of structures. Furthermore it’s lighter than comparable steel-framed structures which reduce overall building costs while offering greater creative freedom with design choices.
Gulam has an extremely minimal environmental footprint during production, and remains sustainable over the lifecycle of a building. It requires far fewer raw materials than its steel and concrete alternatives, and can easily be customized to suit the specific requirements of any project. Furthermore, its durability means less need for repair or replacement in terms of resources consumption.
All glulam manufacturers have created environmental product declarations, which can be obtained directly from them on request. These statements provide quantitative and objective information on the environmental impacts associated with each glulam product from its inception to end of life, taking into account both manufacturing processes as well as final destinations of final disposition of products at end-of-life.
Prolam is committed to cultivating a culture of sustainability across its business and supply chain. We recognize the importance of green design and construction practices when conducting business and strive to ensure our glulam products are manufactured in an ecologically sound manner.
New Zealand plantations-grown radiata pine and Douglas fir comprise the vast majority of our timber supply, helping ensure continual reforestation efforts of native forests while producing high quality glulam posts, beams, trusses and portals utilizing local timber resources. Timber is both renewable and recyclable resource that sequesters carbon dioxide from our atmosphere during its growth period; thus making it an excellent way to reduce greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere – making it truly sustainable building material.
Beautiful and Contemporary
Contrasting brick or concrete, glulam is a much more eco-friendly construction material. Producing it requires less chemicals, which helps lower environmental pollution. Furthermore, due to its durability and resistance to deformation, buildings built from it typically outlive repairs or renovations significantly, thus decreasing energy consumption overall.
Glulam is also an ideal natural insulator, helping reduce energy costs by lowering heating and cooling requirements in buildings, making it a top choice for environmentally responsible projects seeking LEED certifications.
Timber is a renewable resource and glulam production is designed to maximize efficiency by using full logs for beams, trusses and portals. Other construction materials like steel and concrete require much more raw material to manufacture their equivalent structures; as a result, their carbon footprints increase. Timber also releases less emissions when burned for fuel or dumped into landfills than their concrete and steel counterparts do.
Gulam’s versatility enables architects and designers to use it in various design solutions for unique, beautiful structures that complement the environment.
To showcase the timeless and stunning qualities of glulam, we have collected examples of stunning architectural projects using its components. These range from modern art museums to historic churches – and everything in between! Glulam adds character and beauty to every project it touches, whether its dramatic soaring ceilings in public spaces or intricate trusses of historical churches.
Helliwell + Smith Blue Sky Architecture created a two-story glulam structure to frame views from an island waterfront home. Its walls and roof create an airy feeling with its open spaces; visitors are drawn toward its stunning ocean vista via glazed facade. Furthermore, to highlight sweeping vistas on site, all glulam roof and wall panels were curved for optimal effect.
This stunning and contemporary home featured an innovative use of glulam systems to both save costs and enhance visual appeal, creating an open yet secure atmosphere within. Curved roof, walls, and ceilings add visual interest while offering warmth and security within its walls and ceilings.
Easy to Build
When building a new home, you want to choose materials that are sustainable and eco-friendly. More people are turning to glulam beams – engineered wood products which have revolutionized how structures are built – for this very reason. Their strength, energy efficiency, and simple assembly make them the ideal option when choosing materials to construct your dream home.
Glulam is an environmentally friendly material made from renewable resources that can be found from sustainably managed forests. Timber acts as an insulator by absorbing heat in winter months and reflecting it back during summer, helping you save on heating and cooling costs. Furthermore, glulam’s durability requires minimal maintenance over its lifespan.
One of the key considerations when selecting building materials is their environmental impact over its entire lifecycle, measured through life-cycle assessment (LCA). LCA takes into account every stage of a building’s existence from extraction to production to construction to use and finally demolition and disposal.
Comparative to more traditional building materials such as concrete, glulam has an improved impact score due to using less energy during its manufacturing, transport and construction stages as well as being lighter, allowing easier installation and reduced transport emissions.
Glulam also contributes to improved air quality in buildings by using environmentally friendly adhesives that minimize indoor pollution levels and utilize minimal chemicals during production. Furthermore, moisture cannot cause deformation or rot in glulam panels either contributing to an optimal living environment for inhabitants.
Glulam’s ability to be formed into different shapes and sizes opens up creative possibilities for architects and designers. When combined with its long span ability, this allows architects and designers to realize new forms and patterns – from modern art museums’ curvilinear forms to historic churches’ intricate trusses – using it can open up endless opportunities.