Wood was “the number ONE building material” for centuries, especially in Central and Northern Europe!!
In rural areas, the basement and ground floor of the houses were bricked up and the other floors were solidly constructed. Farm buildings and stables were built in a similar way, with the threshing floor and upper threshing floor often being made of solid wood frame construction. In urban areas, half-timbered construction dominated multi-storey buildings. Until the “Venetian saw” was invented, the logs were “chopped” and “the right light was looked at when cutting” (moon phase). This prevented insect infestation and the shrinkage of the wood and you can hardly believe it, it didn't burn either.
Source: …….on which days you should cut the timber so that it does not shrink, stick, worm and also does not burn …….
In the first half of the 20th century, especially after the Second World War, timber construction in Europe experienced a massive decline and fell into a “sleeping beauty sleep” for decades. “Ingenious minds” did not let the “steel and concrete trend” get them down and invented glued laminated timber (glulam) around 1900, which found acceptance specifically as a “bent glued beam” in hall construction.
From 1995 to 1997, the first industrial plants for glulam bar stock with an annual output of 100,000 m³ were put into operation. This also resulted in the price of glulam being “halved” - and wood was suddenly more than competitive with steel and concrete. Just a few years later, it was again “inventive minds” who invented cross-laminated timber BSH/CLT and especially Prof. Dipl. Ing Dr. Gerhard Schickhofer from Graz University of Technology made this “socially acceptable” worldwide with his research work and the resulting design documents and modern timber construction emerged like “the PHOENIX from the ASHES”. Wooden construction materials such as KVH-BSH-BSP/CLT –LVL-OSB made from softwood and hardwood, combined with WOOD-WOOD fasteners such as X-fix, are now “guarantors for sustainable and circular construction”. This makes CRADLE to CRADLE very easy.
Pleasing conclusion: In the wake of climate change, the public has recognized that there is no way around building with renewable raw materials. Almost every well-known university and technical college that deals scientifically with BAU has a timber construction department. Architects, timber construction engineers, timber construction specialist companies and industry are constantly working on the further development of timber construction.
And so this research project by DGJ Architektur-PIRMIN JUNG-BRÜGGEMANN Holzbau came about. Here is a short excerpt from it!