Build in Wood 2019 - day 1

Build in Wood 2019 - day 1

This post has been written by Henriikka Taipale, graduate from the Bachelor of Architectural Technology and Construction Management program at Copenhagen School of Design and Technology (KEA). In her Dissertation Report and Bachelor Project she studied engineered timber construction in Denmark. She also writes about wood on newnordictimber.com.

Build in Wood - The second edition of the largest wood construction and architecture event in Denmark
The first day of Build in Wood 2019 was full of inspiration and interesting talks. The second edition of Copenhagen’s annual conference is taking place at Docken over the 22nd and 23rd May. This year, more than 350 participants have gathered to learn about the latest insights on building with wood.

The first conference day was opened by a panelist discussion on the potential of increasing wood construction in Denmark. Some of the necessary actions highlighted were increasing forestry with respect to biodiversity, educating more skilled professionals and creating standard construction examples. One of the current barriers discussed is the lack of local experience and skills in designing load-bearing wood structures.

We heard from the Latvian timber engineers behind the recently opened Moxy hotel in Copenhagen, which is the first Danish hotel built with cross-laminated timber. The five-storey structure was prefabricated to a great extent and fitted with modular bathroom units. The assembly on site in Sydhavn took only two and a half months.

The amount of built square meters is projected to double in the next 30 years. Austrian startup Cree introduced us to the benefits of utilizing a timber-concrete hybrid construction in order to answer to the growing demands of the building industry. In the building system developed by Cree, prefabricated service channels slot in between glulam beams, resulting in an efficient, finished ceiling structure and repeatable components. Cree’s first Danish project is a six-storey student apartment block on Østerbro, set to finish in 2020.

The Finnish manufacturer Metsä Wood offered insight into the market share of building in wood, which is currently some 2-3% of all construction. What can be done to grow this share? In order to mitigate perceived risks among the industry, knowledge sharing was once again pinpointed as key. To address this, Metsä Wood has introduced the Open Source Wood initiative for all architects and engineers to share their innovations and knowledge in modular wood construction.

Presentations on the topic of acoustics in wooden buildings concluded the first conference day. Researchers and specialists discussed the challenges relating to sound and vibration issues, and how the Danish regulations differ from those of our neighboring countries. We learned about the methods of testing acoustic performance, and how to ensure sufficient sound insulation in timber buildings.

Another exciting conference day will follow, so stay tuned for my next guest blogger post.

Build in Wood 2019