260 m³ of Hasslacher CLT were used for the Red Bull Energy Station © Red Bull Content Pool/Andreas Aufschnaiter
The motorhome is the business card of every Formula 1 team, and Red Bull is breaking new ground with its brand-new "Energy Station". The interior as well as the exterior shine with the radiance of first-class architecture and an inviting charm. A particular focus was placed on the utilization of wood for this new construction by Red Bull - the supporting structure as well as the facade, terrace and interior are made from the naturally renewable raw material.
The three stories of the building have an effective area of 1200 m² and were designed and built within only seven months. What is special about the building is that it can be reassembled by 25 people, two cranes and two cherry pickers in only 32 hours at every race post all over Europe. The Hasslacher group supplied 260 m³ of cross-laminated timber in double-sided excellent quality in oak. These elements were additionally used for the flooring. Furthermore, Hasslacher delivered larch CLT as a ready-made ceiling soffit, 300 m³ of glulam from larch and spruce as well as 2000 m² of thermo timber planking from ash for the generous terrace areas. With this, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso offer their employees what is probably the most exclusive paddock of the current Formula 1 race series.
Opting for the "excellent surface"
Hasslacher's excellent surface not only convinced the architects © Red Bull Content Pool/Andreas Aufschnaiter
For the surface of this wood construction in modern design, Red Bull used the excellent lamella developed by the Hasslacher group. It is a three-layered, cross-laminated structure that - just like a small CLT element - consists of top layer, barrier layer and filling layer. The thin top layer is made from different fine timbers in a cost-efficient way. The barrier layer is glued 90° to the top layer. This interplay prevents the thin top layer from shrinking with the result that the surface develops hardly any cracks or joints. The filling layer - just like the name suggests - is the padding to achieve the characteristic lamella thickness. With its high mechanical characteristics it ensures that in total, the package conforms to the dimensions of a massive C24 lamella. This means that the excellent lamella can be included in the static calculation of the ceiling structure which not only reduces the construction height, but in the end also saves costs.
For the "Red Bull Energy Station", oak and larch were used. After an additional surface treatment, the oak elements were ready to be used as flooring elements. Besides, the Hasslacher group offers spruce, fir, Swiss pine, birch, oak surfaces and lamellas with a matured timber look. These joint and crack-free surfaces also convince architects. One example is the HoHo Vienna in the city's district Seestadt Aspern with over 12,000 m² of the Hasslacher excellent surface.
Surface refinement stands the test
The surface refinement center of the Hasslacher group © Hasslacher Gruppe/Tinefoto
To be able to offer architects, designers and investors a final surface ex-works already, the Hasslacher group invested in a surface refinement center at its site in Stall im Mölltal several years ago already. This makes the company a pioneer in terms of cross-laminated timber surfaces. The technology was originally developed for the furniture sector. Hasslacher scaled CLT elements with a size of op to 3.2 by 20 m for the sector. On each side, four atomizer nozzles can be used at the same time. Two robot arms apply the water-based surface coatings, and hot air accelerates the subsequent drying phase.
The fine sanding equipment installed before the process together with the intermediate sanding units integrated into the system achieves optimal results. Different water-based surface refinements are available upon request: The spectrum ranges from contamination and yellowing protection to hydrophobicity and blue stain protection up to colored, transparent glazing (see article on page 64).
Continued investments into CLT competence center
Due to the high level of demand for readily joined, high-quality and surface refined cross-laminated timber, the Hasslacher group is continually investing in its different factories. These investments include, amongst others, a new production hall for CLT of 10,000 m³ as well as additional joining lines also for CLT orders in detailed and small batches. In terms of further processing and refinement of CLT, Hasslacher wants to keep setting new standards.
