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| Trade visitors can explore the theme of timber construction at BAU  It grows and grows, and when it´s cut, it just grows back again – that is what gives wood the advantage over all other load-bearing materials. Wood will be one of the main pillars, too, at BAU 2011, which takes place from 17 to 22 January 2011 at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre. Here at this event the timber construction industry will be showcasing the diversity and many applications of this renewable resource.Wood has good insulation properties, it prevents thermal bridges and boasts a combination of low weight and high compressive and tensile strength. In other words it has all that a building material these days should have – and it grows naturally. As such wood impacts positively on the life-cycle costs of many buildings. In several of the exhibition halls at BAU 2011 trade visitors will find much to interest them on the subject of timber construction. A renaissance in the use of this renewable resource is also being seen in the building envelope: in the form of boards and panels, rustic-style shingles or finely sanded louvres, wood is being seen ever more frequently on walls and sloping surfaces, protecting against the sun, wind and precipitation. Even in Western European latitudes, houses have been built in recent years that have a building envelope made entirely of wood. Of course wood as a material does age, and a certain patina develops over time – it is after all a natural material and it 'breathes', shrinks and expands, and its surface look and colour will change over the years. Perhaps it is these very qualities in the material which attract architects and home-builders, and why it is now a popular choice. Worldwide buildings made of wood are becoming ever higher, wider and more daring: In Berlin and London there are already the first seven- and nine-storey buildings with a timber frame. And in the Norwegian town of Kirkenes the first 55-storey high-rise is going to be built in wood. Another miracle of modern timber construction is to be found in Metz. There the frame for the roof of the Centre Pompidou is composed of six layers of laminated timber girders with 1,600 individual geometric segments, fitted together to form a continuously curving lattice grid. As is common with prefabricated components, the dimensions for all the individual parts were worked out using special software and then cut to size by CNC milling. Wood is not only being used solo, it also offers great potential in tandem with plastics and concrete. A wide range of these composite materials based on wood are now finding application in many areas of building. The long and illustrious career of this high-performance building material is not over yet by a long way. write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Construction News :: home page |