One of the world’s largest timber manufacturers is using prefabrication and automation to custom-treat mass timber parts against moisture, UV, and insects. And it is now using the world-first technology to supply “plug-and-play” timber parts across Europe and as far afield as Australia.
Developed by Stora Enso, the world’s largest fully automated production line is now pre-coating the company’s range of Slyvia cross-laminated timber products, including walls, floors, roofs, stairs, beams, and columns, as part of its new upgraded Austrian mill in Yibbs.
Stora Enso then transports modular timber parts in “kit form”, where they are assembled on-site by installers following just-in-time (or JIT) manufacturing production methodology.
Wood Central understands that Stora Enso timber produced at the facility is now being blasted with a hydrophobic protective pre-coating during manufacturing and is part of a push by global timber producers to use AI and robotics to get an edge in the construction market.
On Friday, Stora Enso announced that the first project—a new school in Nantes, France (known as the Bourdonnieres School)—was the first to use AI-treated Syvia cross-laminated timber from the new production line.
The 2,150-square-metre Bourdonnieres School, designed by Architecture Forma6, is a testament to Stora Enso’s commitment to sustainability. It uses cross-laminated timber floors, walls and roofs, as well as recycled materials and bio-based wood fibre insulation supplied by Stora Enso.
According to Stora Enso’s Product Manager, Kim Ekberg, “We were working on a very tight timeframe and had several constraints at the site itself,” counting that “we knew that we would have to leave the elements exposed on-site for a period, which can be a risk due to the weather.”
Before adding that, the new hydrophobic coating “combats this risk by protecting the wood from absorbing moisture and making it easier to keep the surfaces clean from dirt.”
The new milestone comes after Stora Enso invested more than 9 million euros into developing the state-of-the-art line in 2022. It supports Lego-style prefabrication to create the next generation of faster, more affordable, and more energy-efficient construction.
Opening in January, the new line will not only coat to protect Sylva CLT elements from moisture, UV damage, and insects but also produce a wider variety of lighter-grade timbers.
- To find out how global timber companies are now using AI, 3D-printing and robotics to build the next generation of ‘plug and play’ construction systems, please visit Wood Central’s special feature.
