One of Europe’s largest timber companies, Södra, wants to combine cross-laminated timber and precast concrete to develop the next generation of eco-friendly timber framing. It comes after the Swedish company announced yesterday that it would partner with Peab, one of the region’s largest builders, to develop the hybrid solution at scale.
“With this collaboration, we want to investigate how we can develop a hybrid frame solution that is viable on a large scale based on the parameters of economy, function, and sustainability,” according to Andreas Berge, business area manager at Södra with responsibility for Södra Building Systems. “It is about optimising the whole by using the right material in the right place.”
“By combining wood’s low climate footprint and lightweight construction with concrete’s robustness, stability and weight, we get the best of both worlds, said Carl Rülcker, acting CEO of Peabbolaget Byggelement: “We see potential in a solution not based on either or, but on collaboration. With this initiative, we are taking another step towards building more sustainably – without sacrificing function, economy or buildability.”
Wood Central understands that the collaboration will focus on developing a standardised ECO hybrid frame solution for prefab construction and comes after it last year revealed that Metsa Wood was combining cross-laminated timber and precast concrete to build sandwich walls.
Research: Hybrid timber systems could be the new reinforced concrete
The new partnership comes as global researchers examine hybrid timber, concrete, and steel-based systems for meeting climate commitments.
In March 2022, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research at Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut set up a research project to examine the long-term value of using timber and concrete in hybrid building systems.
Scientists worldwide are investigating the amalgamation of timber and concrete and using timber reinforced with carbon fibres or flax in a polymer matrix for increased rigidity. They have developed a new system for binding timber and concrete without using nails, plates, or nets.
According to Professor Libo Yan, Senior Scientist and Junior Research Group Leader for the project, “By bonding the materials with polyurethane or epoxy resin, we can reduce the weight of the timber hybrids and hasten the manufacturing process by up to 15%.”
- To learn more about Södra, click here for Wood Central’s special feature inside the world’s greenest mass timber plant in Vaxo, Sweden.
