Ever since its approval by the European building authorities around three decades ago, cross-laminated timber has been used in construction and in particular in multi-storey timber buildings. In the coming years, the production is expected to be significantly boosted in order to respond to the increasing demand from the market.
Cross-laminated timber: a resource for sustainable construction
“CLT is a resource and cost efficient material that is highly suitable for sustainable construction. Current building trends focus more and more on circularity, and as a consequence, engineers and property developers will plan more buildings using this technology,” comments Ralf Köhler, Cluster Manager – Wood at Luxinnovation. “In addition, CLT is interesting for the woodworking crafts sector as it is also a suitable material for interior construction and design.”
Current building trends focus more and more on circularity, and engineers and property developers will plan more buildings using cross-laminated timber.
In order to support the wood sector’s capacity to innovate using cross-laminated timber, the Luxembourg Wood Cluster recently organised the first in a series of workshops on CLT innovation. Hosted by Prefalux in Junglinster, the workshop brought together 25 experts from industry, research and development from Luxembourg and the Greater Region.
“The objective of the workshop was to establish a common view on the need for technical production capacities and for innovation with the experts from the Greater Region,” says Mr Köhler. “It was obvious that the main concerns focus on resource efficiency and the ability to produce tailor-made products.”
Forthcoming CLT innovation hub
One of the key topics discussed at the event was the creation of a “CLT innovation hub”. The aim of this initiative, which will be set up in cooperation between the Luxembourg Wood Cluster, WFG East Belgium, the Wood Competence Centre Rhineland and the Wood Construction Cluster of Rhineland-Palatinate, is to accelerate innovation in the field and contribute to the future cross-border promotion of cross-laminated timber technology. The hub is included in a joint application for Interreg funding that is currently under preparation.
We want the CLT innovation hub to function as a continuous innovation platform.
“We want the innovation hub to function as a continuous innovation platform that will promote the establishment of cooperative production lines, enhance the exchange of experience from applied research and stimulate the CLT construction market,” explains Mr Köhler. “We will shortly invite other interested companies and stakeholders in the Luxembourg Wood Cluster to join the technical discussions.”
Photos: Luxinnovation
