AFK Sistema, the owner of Etalon Group, intends to develop multi-storey construction from CLT wooden panels. This is cost-effective, but is unlikely to capture the market quickly.
“The main advantage of this building material is its environmental friendliness and speed of construction. The creation of the CLT plant will allow the company to increase the marginality of the portfolio through the production of a new high-tech product,” the company said in a statement.
Olga Lyubartseva
Olga Lyubartseva, Chief Specialist of Design department of Metropolis, told Delovoy Peterburg how promising the use of this technology could be. Historically, wood as a building material is of particular importance for Russia. From this material originates house building in our country. Already in the 17-18 centuries, a high culture, technical and artistic methods of wood processing were formed.
The craftsmen knew well and took into account the properties and features, color and structure of various types of wood. In many cities wooden churches, houses, and in the Russian North, even wooden pavements have survived to this day.
In the past, the spread of wood was primarily due to the availability and ease of processing of this material. Today, the range of building materials is much wider: metal, monolithic or prefabricated reinforced concrete, stone, polymeric materials. When designing, the choice of a particular material depends on a number of factors, on the purpose of the future building, its operating conditions, the region of construction, the requirements of the customer or the authors of the project for aesthetics.
Traditionally, wood is used in structures with high humidity - skating rinks, swimming pools, water parks: contrary to popular belief, wood is a material that is more resistant to chemical and biological aggressive environments.
Speaking of wood, one cannot fail to mention the environmental friendliness of this material. The natural origin makes it safe for humans, and the simplicity and ease of processing make it possible to obtain free-form structures from wood. For this reason, the tree is widely used in private construction - in the construction of residential buildings and baths.
Despite all the advantages of this material, it has not received much distribution in the construction of apartment buildings for now.
In view of combustibility, for many years wood had restrictions on its use, however, modern fire-retardant materials make it possible to increase the fire resistance of structures.
The lightness of wood with relatively high strength and low thermal conductivity can reduce the consumption of materials, and hence the cost of construction. A 200 mm thick timber wall has the same thermal conductivity as a 640 mm thick brick wall, and the heavier the structure, the more weight must be transferred to the foundation and soil, the more massive and expensive the foundation structure becomes.
When choosing city apartments, buyers still prefer houses made of monolithic reinforced concrete, this material is associated in society with strength and reliability. At the same time, panel houses are inferior to the monolith, according to the majority, due to limited freedom of planning, although in fact, most likely, the desire to break away from the Soviet past plays a big role.
With the construction costs reduced by the use of lighter timber structures, and with today's green and healthy lifestyle trend, it is plausible that timber-framed housing may be in demand in the future.
Read the full material on Delovoy Peterburg website.
