Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) has been used to create an internal feature wall within the Visitor Centre. CLT is an engineered timber product with good structural properties and low environmental impact (where sustainably sourced timber is used). It can provide dry, fast onsite construction, with good potential for airtightness and a robust wall and floor structure suitable for most finishes internally and externally.
How does it work?
CLT is formed in a similar fashion to the more familiar glue-laminated timber beams (‘glulam’), using small sections of timber bonded together with permanent adhesives. In this way, imperfections in the original timber, such as knots, can be removed in the factory to reduce variability and enhance structural performance. CLT differs from glulam in that it is formed into panels rather than beams, hence the layers of timber (lamellas) are bonded perpendicularly to one another, resulting in structural strength across two dimensions, and improving structural integrity and dimensional stability.
The Visitor Centre has the first example of a Scottish CLT wall. It was manufactured by Edinburgh Napier University, using Scottish timber.
Key Benefits
- Can provide robust wall and floor constructions.
- Allows for fast off-site construction of buildings.
- As a renewable material, it stores carbon throughout its usable lifespan.
- Vapour-permeable wall construction.
Location
Visitor Centre
