A Different Way To Build a House #62 – Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) construction

Cross Laminated Timber panels (also known as CLT and X-LAM) are a relatively new building material. They have been used to build everything from houses to multi-story apartment buildings:

The building is made from prefabricated cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels, made in Austria from sustainably harvested lumber. They are strong; Craig says they can go up to fifteen stories. They are fire resistant; unlike steel, it doesn’t lose its strength when it gets hot. In a fire, the char that forms on it is actually an insulator.

As you watch this video, you can see why the panels are so strong. Each panel is like an immensely thick (up to a foot thick) piece of plywood made from boards rather than thin sheets of wood:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=K4mvQQkKTgQ
https://youtube.com/watch?v=wsM6cl5u3N0

More detail about CLT panels:
Cross Laminated Timber coming soon to North America
Treeli.com
Montana Sustainable Systems
The L41 Prefab Home Packs a Whole Lot into a Tiny Space
A Strategic Plan for the Commercialization of Cross-Laminated Timber in Canada and the US

Other House Ideas

The Official Site for Marshall Brain