BY GREGORY HAVEL
Cross-laminated timber (CLT) technology was developed in Switzerland and Germany in the 1990s and is commonly used in Europe. It is becoming common in Canada and is already in use in the United States. This material is marketed as “green” and “sustainable,” since it uses a renewable resource (wood) rather than other materials (concrete and steel) that consume large amounts of energy and generate carbon dioxide during their manufacture.
CLT is a manufactured wood product used for load-bearing wall, floor, and roof panels made of dimensional lumber and adhesive. The panels are assembled at the manufacturing facility to control quality and expense, cut to size, and transported to the construction site for assembly. Although wood trusses and I-joists are also assembled at manufacturing facilities and transported to the construction job site for assembly, there is a notable difference. CLT has significant mass compared to wood trusses, I-joists, and other lightweight construction materials and, therefore, has some inherent fire resistance, whereas lightweight materials have little.
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