CLT competency you can build on

Building with wood is currently undergoing a boom that had still been inconceivable only a few years ago. Cross-laminated timber is and will be an absolute product of the future. It unites all requirements of modern timber construction while fully satisfying the growing demand for climate-neutral, sustainable construction materials. "Almost 15 years ago, tendencies towards these pioneering products indeed started to show – a CLT boom of this magnitude, however, was not foreseeable," says Florian Markl, JAF timber construction product manager. He adds: "Today, we see impressive growth rates. Besides major ecological advantages, our customers are also increasingly discovering the economic benefits of CLT products. Therefore, we are continuously expanding our product portfolio with modern and sustainable products."

A tradition of innovation

Since 2005 already, traditional wood wholesaler JAF has been supervising CLT projects on a drop-shipment basis and once again demonstrated its good instinct for wood trends. That tradition and innovation aren't mutually exclusive but rather interdependent and complementary, is an open secret at the international enterprise with Lower Austrian roots. "CLT trade only works if you have the necessary know-how," Markl reports and adds: "When the new CLT products entered the market, we had already gathered decades of experience in timber construction. A huge advantage that played into our hands when supervising Austria's first CLT projects back in 2005 already." While back then, a typical CLT order was the ceiling of a single-family home with a CLT volume of 15 m³, today JAF is taking care of entire houses all the time. Success was not long in coming as the slow but steady increase in CLT projects was picking up speed continuously and developed into a persistent boom. "In 2005 already, we were convinced of the numerous advantages of CLT. The development into a trend demonstrates our keen sense for the quality and practicability of wood products," Markl is very pleased with the development of this JAF division so far.

Ecological turning point

Markl clearly sees the causes of this continuing boom in the change in customer awareness and the growing trend towards the natural product that is wood: "Of course, the entire industry benefits from the intensive discourse around topics such as sustainability and finite resources." Currently, this discussion permeates all areas of life and has reached the construction sector a few years ago. Because bit by bit, the end users' awareness for sustainability in construction is growing. Therefore, solutions that highlight areas like ecology, life cycle costs, recycling and careful use of resources are increasingly in demand. "In this respect, wood is, of course, an unbeatable material that enables ecological change in the construction sector and in addition also carries emotions with its naturalness," Markl elaborates. Activities such as the initiative "holz ist genial" (wood is brilliant) by proHolz, the syndicate of the Austrian timber industry, help to raise awareness with end users. Slogans such as the following: "Every 40 seconds, a wooden house grows back," are a very bold and clever way to highlight the sustainability of wood – and rightfully so: Ecologically speaking, solid wood construction is clearly superior to all conventional construction methods. 

5000 supervised CLT projects

Long before the climate debate started, JAF had already recognized the trend towards CLT and put the customer at the center of all company activities. The complex product, however, also posed challenges for the experienced timber merchant. “It is not a product that you can sell like OSB boards," Markl explains. "We had to significantly expand our competencies, offer intensive trainings to our employees and intensify our supplier relations." In Austria alone, JAF has ten employees who are proven CLT project specialists. The team of JAF stands out for its expertise in the field of pre-dimensioning as well as proven consulting expertise in numerous CLT projects. Around 5000 projects have already been supervised by these experts. Thanks to their years of experience, they have become valuable partners and competent experts in planning and execution and support project managers on all levels – from dimensioning and calculation to construction site processes.

Prefabrication is key

With its environmental advantages, CLT clearly satisfies current trends – but many construction managers are not yet aware that this construction material can also be a real economic asset. Thanks to the low weight of wood and drywall constructions, the efforts that are necessary for foundations are reduced considerably. The high degree of prefabrication simplifies the processes on the construction site and ensures standardized and verifiable quality. Furthermore, CLT is very well-suited for machine processing. Due to increasing digitization and technologization, the already very high degree of prefabrication is continuously furthered. This also means that construction site processes become increasingly shorter and construction site facilities can be reduced significantly which also minimizes logistics efforts. The fact that it is a dry construction method further reduces construction times. Buildings are also ready to use earlier which considerably shortens financing periods. "In times of skills shortage, the degree of prefabrication increasingly becomes a decisive factor," Markl reports. "In addition, this means that our customers can employ lower-skilled staff on site. The excellent specialists – who of course still exist today – are tied up in projects for less time and can quickly be deployed in new projects. From an economic point of view, this of course is a huge advantage." 

The plan to success

The experts from JAF support customers in all steps during the planning of CLT projects. They have demonstrated their knowledge concerning suitable prefabrication methods and smooth construction site processes in numerous projects already. In this context, Markl remarks: "The support that my colleagues lend during dimensioning and calculation of projects should by no means be underestimated. Expensive mistakes can be avoided by professional advice." After planning is completed, the executing carpentries not only receive the ordered wood elements from JAF but, upon request, also detailed installation plans. Thanks to the precise numbering of components, the elements can be clearly assigned and fit perfectly. This way, every construction element quickly finds its intended place. 

CLT, product of the future

If one were to explain to a layman that timber construction is one of the most modern construction methods of our era and has by no means become obsolete, CLT would definitely be the best example. The products are technologically mature. Considering the increasing processing with industrial robots and thanks to technologically mature processing machines, CLT is the logical development of timber construction products analogous to the increasing digitization and Industry 4.0. JAF's employees, as well, adopt the latest technology when implementing CLT projects. The numbering systems mentioned above show the practicability of automation technologies. But also when it comes to planning, JAF can draw on modern IT infrastructure. Thanks to 3D CAD plans from software hsbCAD, the experts can meticulously and precisely calculate the projects on the basis of the pre-dimensioning. 

Product variety and availability

Another advantage that JAF customers clearly benefit from when handling CLT projects is the size of the JAF group. Customers can choose their ideal product form a comprehensive portfolio. When looking for the perfect CLT product for the project in question, JAF employees again are of great help. "Together with our customers, we always find the perfect solution – even for the most challenging cases," Markl is sure. Furthermore, all other wood products can be provided quickly and reliably – from doors to terraces everything is possible. This shows the advantages of the timber wholesaler’s logistical strength and the widespread international stock network.

Expertise creates trust

One of the numerous projects that JAF supervised this year and that perfectly exemplifies the usual day-to-day CLT business of the traditional timber merchant is a nursery school building of the St. Pölten state hospital. Stefan Heigl from Heigl Holzbau/Lunz am See was the executing carpenter. For many years already, he has been putting his trust in the great cooperation with JAF. "When we were awarded the construction of the nursery school, it became clear very quickly that also in this project, we do not want to do without JAF's consulting expertise." The project is the new construction of a nursery school; the ground floor of the building was realized as a solid brick construction. Also in this combined construction project, the flexibility that comes with planning with CLT turned out to be a huge advantage. The first floor of the building was made from cross-laminated timber by Heigl Holzbau. The larch facade supplied by JAF gives the building a very harmonious and natural charm. "We built the first floor within one week," Stefan Heigl reports. "Fast construction times like these are possible due to the elimination of drying times and the low weight of the construction material. During planning, we could wholeheartedly trust in the expertise of the employees of JAF," the carpenter continues. And what is more: The Siberian larch wood used for the facade turns the nursery school into a stylish eye-catcher. This wood is characterized by its durability and is very well-suited for exterior utilization. Mounting system Easy-Clip allowed for a fast installation of the facade and therefore contributed to the swift construction speed of the CLT construction.

The future belongs to CLT

"It is the small and the large-scale CLT projects in equal measure that motivate us each and every day to help our customers with planning as well as execution of their construction projects. Personal service and support are of particular importance to us in this respect. To support projects from the sketch to project completion makes us happy every time," Markl reflects towards the end of the interview and emphasizes his enthusiasm again with the following words: "15 years ago already, we at JAF believed in CLT, and it makes us happy that we are can continue this path of success with our customers in the future."