#Industry News
Holding Their Own: 9 Glulam Projects That Transcend Tradition
As mentioned in our recent article, timber construction is regaining traction within the building industry. From Zaha Hadid’s Sleuk Rith Institute to Jeanne Gang’s Writers Theatre, new timber architecture can be found around the world. But timber framing is nothing new.
This standard building method was commonplace for wooden buildings from the 19th century and earlier, and was used for millennia in many parts of the world. With timber-framing techniques dating back to Neolithic times, countries like Japan, Germany and England have produced countless styles and types of joinery. Today, modern timber projects are building upon tradition to explore exciting new assembly methods and structural applications.
Glued laminated timber, or glulam, is one type of structural timber product made with layers of dimensioned timber bonded together. Often joined with moisture-resistant structural adhesives, glulam combines multiple timber pieces to create large, individual structural members. These members are then used as columns, beams or various other structural components. Designed for heavier loads, longer spans and formal flexibility, glulam provides strength and versatility that’s comparable to steel.
Exploring the potential of timber and glulam construction, we’ve rounded up the following collection of modern glulam projects from the Architizer database. Designed as bridges, sports halls and museums, the projects champion glulam construction through free-form shapes, repetition and layering. The small sample begins to reveal how new approaches to timber and glulam framing can begin to transcend tradition.
BIG’s gymnasium design was created as a large multifunctional space for gathering, ceremonies and sports activities. Merging an existing courtyard with the new building, the gymnasium was placed 16 feet below ground with a soft curved-formed roof. The iconic structure was made with a series of unique curved glulam beams shaped around the formula of a ballistic arch.
The WIDC was designed as an innovation hub drawing together professionals, academics and researchers. Standing 97 feet tall, it was made to showcase the potential of engineered mass timber products as the world’s tallest modern all-timber office building. A series of glulam beams and columns were used alongside the timber walls and systems-integrated CLT floor panels.
Shigeru Ban’s Pompidou Metz was designed to capitalize on the best qualities of museums like the Guggenheim in Bilbao and the Tate Modern in London. Establishing spaces around the ease of viewing and displaying art, as well as a desire to create a sculptural architecture, the Metz combined simple volumes with a timber roof structure. This iconic roof uses glulam construction and overlapping wood members that hover over all of the separate volumes to unify them into a cohesive whole.
This bridge over the Tulameen River spans along the Trans-Canada trail. The design utilizes twinned glulam arches and an undulating steel roof deck sat onto existing piers.
Designed as a sports center in Sargans, this building was made with exposed timber and a slender cross-section. A two-story glulam frame combines with 40 spruce columns to define different areas of the structure.
One of the most acclaimed designs for the 2015 Milan Expo, the China Pavilion was designed as a field of spaces below a floating cloud. The project’s unique roof was made as a freeform timber structure using contemporary glulam construction. Texture and depth was added to the pavilion’s roof through shingled bamboo panels and a translucent waterproofing membrane.
The Bow River bridge is located in Banff, Canada’s first national park. The 370-foot-long timber bridge was made for pedestrian traffic, and is one of the longest timber clear spans in the world. The project used a replaceable modular deck that rests atop twinned glulam beams.
Moshe Safdie’s Crystal Bridges Museum was carefully inserted into a heavily wooded ravine. Surrounded by hills and a network of trails, the design centers around eight pavilions set within the landscape. The project uses vaulted, convex roofs and a series of non-repeating glulam arches, each of which has a unique inner and outer radius.
Kengo Kuma’s Yusuhara Museum links two public facilities through a single bridge structure. Designed as
a passage, accommodation space and workshop, the museum uses a structural system composed of small parts. The large cantilever was achieved through an overlapping glulam and wood member construction.
