Preparing the ground for the future

Moosbrunn, a small municipality in Lower Austria, on the outskirts of Vienna, has dedicated itself entirely to the latest knowledge about environments that promote learning among children. In 1908, an elementary school was opened, which was renovated several times over the years. Recently, a comprehensive renovation, modernization and expansion were on the agenda, and the municipality opted for a forward-looking, climate-friendly way of building.

The right building material

The elementary school in Moosbrunn is an excellent example of the successful use of the most sensible building material in the right place. More than 750 m² of double wall elements and concrete ceiling elements, which were manufactured by the Kirchdorfer Group, were used to build the basement. For the load-bearing walls, the architectural office chose wood, an unbeatable building material from an ecological point of view. More than 200 m³ of PEFC-certified MM crosslam cross-laminated timber elements in visible residential quality from Mayr-Melnhof Holz were used for the walls, in addition to over 700 m² of XC living. These innovative composite elements made of cross-laminated timber and concrete are particularly suitable for dropped ceilings and roof constructions. They are mainly used in places with demanding requirements for sound insulation and wide spans and where a visible and haptically pleasant wooden surface is desired, e.g. in school or kindergarten buildings, nursing homes, office buildings and modern living spaces. The XC timber concrete composite elements, which can be assembled on the construction site without the need for any falsework or in-situ concrete, are manufactured by MMK, a joint venture between the Kirchdorfer Group and Mayr-Melnhof Holz.

Prefabrication as catalyst

The high degree of prefabrication of the XC elements and the cross-laminated timber walls also made it possible to limit the time needed for construction to just under eleven months. “As is the case with the construction of every school building, it is not just about erecting a building that meets modern educational requirements. Ecological aspects and building physics are equally as important. With our solid timber and hybrid solutions, we were able to reconcile sustainability, spans, sound insulation, fire protection as well as construction time – and, as a result, also costs,” Sebastian Knoflach, Managing Director of MMK and Head of Sales of Timber Concrete Composite Elements at Mayr-Melnhof Holz, tells us.

MM crosslam CLT is special

For the production of the cross-laminated timber elements, Mayr-Melnhof Holz only uses spruce wood, which comes from sustainably managed forests within the catchment area of the sawmills. The integrated production chain is special, too. The lumber for the cross-laminated timber elements is produced in the company’s own sawmill in Leoben, from where it is delivered to the nearby processing site in Gaishorn. Starting in 2023, the high-tech cross-laminated timber plant, which is currently under construction next to the company’s headquarters and sawmill, will also be supplied. At full capacity, 140,000 m³ of the building material of the future will be produced here, in addition to the 70,000 m³ manufactured in Gaishorn.

Mayr-Melnhof Holz is the only manufacturer who offers two types of adhesive, i.e. MUF and PUR, when processing lumber into cross-laminated timber. Added to this is the “one-stop supplier” principle: Cross-laminated and glued-laminated timber elements are produced at the same production site and joined individually depending on the respective project using state-of-the-art CNC machines. Ready for assembly, they are then delivered by truck to timber construction companies for further processing or to construction sites. Combined deliveries also help to reduce CO2 emissions, which is good for the climate and therefore good for all of us.