Metsä Wood, a Finland-based manufacturer of engineered wood products, says its sustainable, material-efficient products can store carbon for decades, helping to combat climate change.
To build its new concrete plant of 17,000 square meters, German construction specialist Brüninghoff, which makes prefabricated wooden materials, such as laminated veneer lumber, wanted to use materials that fit its sustainability strategy. So the company chose Kerto LVL—prefabricated panels and studs made by Metsä Wood—for the plant’s exterior non-load-bearing walls. The panels were attached to load-bearing concrete frames.
Metsä Wood’s Kerto LVL, a structural laminated veneer lumber, takes up less volume than other wood materials and also has an excellent strength-to-weight ratio. In addition to supporting the sustainability strategy, Kerto LVL led to optimized assembly times.
The Brüninghoff plant has a total of 239 wall elements with an area of around 5,000 square meters. It used a total of 242 cubic meters of Kerto LVL. The team used a carbon storage calculator to determine that the Kerto LVL stores 165.8 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (a unit based on global warming potential)—meaning that, compared to other construction materials, the wood in Metsä Wood’s product is “highly sustainable,” the company says.
“Through this construction, we are forcing structural change towards construction that supports circular economy. Change is needed as the construction sector is responsible for consuming huge quantities of resources. It is a question of optimizing construction methods, developing low-emission concepts, and increasingly backing recycling solutions,” Frank Steffens, managing director, Brüninghoff, said in a statement.
The building has already received pre-certification per the ecological, economic, and social criteria of the German Society for Sustainable Construction (DGNB).
Related Stories
Mass Timber | Apr 22, 2024
British Columbia changing building code to allow mass timber structures of up to 18 stories
The Canadian Province of British Columbia is updating its building code to expand the use of mass timber in building construction. The code will allow for encapsulated mass-timber construction (EMTC) buildings as tall as 18 stories for residential and office buildings, an increase from the previous 12-story limit.
Mass Timber | Feb 15, 2024
5 things developers should know about mass timber
Gensler's Erik Barth, architect and regional design resilience leader, shares considerations for developers when looking at mass timber solutions.
Sponsored | Performing Arts Centers | Jan 17, 2024
Performance-based facilities for performing arts boost the bottom line
A look at design trends for “budget-wise” performing arts facilities reveals ways in which well-planned and well-built facilities help performers and audiences get the most out of the arts. This continuing education course is worth 1.0 AIA learning unit.
75 Top Building Products | Dec 13, 2023
75 top building products for 2023
From a bladeless rooftop wind energy system, to a troffer light fixture with built-in continuous visible light disinfection, innovation is plentiful in Building Design+Construction's annual 75 Top Products report.
Products and Materials | Oct 31, 2023
Top building products for October 2023
BD+C Editors break down 15 of the top building products this month, from structural round timber to air handling units.
Biophilic Design | Oct 29, 2023
Natural wood floors create biophilic experience in Austrian headquarters office
100% environmentally friendly natural wood floors from mafi add to the biophilic setting of a beverage company office in Upper Austria.
Mass Timber | Oct 27, 2023
Five winners selected for $2 million Mass Timber Competition
Five winners were selected to share a $2 million prize in the 2023 Mass Timber Competition: Building to Net-Zero Carbon. The competition was co-sponsored by the Softwood Lumber Board and USDA Forest Service (USDA) with the intent “to demonstrate mass timber’s applications in architectural design and highlight its significant role in reducing the carbon footprint of the built environment.”
Mass Timber | Oct 10, 2023
New York City launches Mass Timber Studio to spur more wood construction
New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) recently launched New York City Mass Timber Studio, “a technical assistance program to support active mass timber development projects in the early phases of project planning and design.”
Construction Costs | Sep 28, 2023
U.S. construction market moves toward building material price stabilization
The newly released Quarterly Construction Cost Insights Report for Q3 2023 from Gordian reveals material costs remain high compared to prior years, but there is a move towards price stabilization for building and construction materials after years of significant fluctuations. In this report, top industry experts from Gordian, as well as from Gilbane, McCarthy Building Companies, and DPR Construction weigh in on the overall trends seen for construction material costs, and offer innovative solutions to navigate this terrain.
Mass Timber | Sep 19, 2023
Five Things Construction Specialties Learned from Shaking a 10-Story Building
Construction Specialties (CS) is the only manufacturer in the market that can claim its modular stair system can withstand 100 earthquakes. Thanks to extensive practical testing conducted this spring at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) on the tallest building ever to be seismically tested, CS has identified five significant insights that will impact all future research and development in stair solutions.
