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Upper Austrian construction company Libertydot Home relies on JAF’s expertise in CLT for its modular housing solutions © JAF

J. U. A. FRISCHEIS

Combined expertise from more than 5000 CLT projects

Article by Birgit Fingerlos (adapted for holzkurier.com; translated by Eva Guzely) | 10.12.2020 - 12:02
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Thanks to CLT, tiny houses offer home comfort, a maximum in flexibility and the naturalness of wood © Klaus Mittermayr

The open secret of international timber trade company JAF is the conviction that tradition and innovation are not mutually exclusive, but rather mutually dependent. JAF has been handling cross-laminated timber projects through drop shipping since 2005, once again proving its keen sense for trends in the timber industry. The company profited from decades of experience in timber constructions. After all, trading in cross-laminated timber requires the necessary know-how in order to offer customers the right products and services in a targeted manner. Today, the company’s Austrian CLT team can draw on the experience gained in more than 5000 CLT projects and continuously improves the range of services. JAF’s CLT division is also seeing strong growth on an international level.

Reducing costs with expert advice

JAF’s experienced CLT experts are always there to support their customers in the planning of CLT projects. They have proven their knowledge of suitable prefabrication and smooth workflows on the construction site in numerous CLT projects. The experts offer support with the preliminary dimensioning and calculation of projects. This is a service whose importance should not be underestimated since professional consulting can help to avoid expensive mistakes. After the planning is completed, JAF delivers the ordered timber elements to the carpentry companies involved in a project and also provides detailed assembly plans if requested. Thanks to the clear numbering of the elements, they can be clearly assigned and fit perfectly, and each element quickly finds its intended place.

CLT – Technology is key

With the increasing use of industrial robots and more technologically advanced woodworking machines, CLT is the next logical step in the further development of timber construction products parallel to increasing digitalization and the Industry 4.0. JAF’s employees also use modern technology when realizing CLT projects. The above-mentioned numbering systems impressively show the practicality of these automation technologies. JAF can also draw on modern IT infrastructure when planning CLT projects. With the help of 3D CAD plans made with the hsbcad software, the experts make detailed and precise calculations based on the preliminary dimensioning.

Product diversity and availability

In the implementation of CLT projects, JAF’s customers also benefit from the size of the JAF Group. This gives them the advantage of being able to choose the right product from an incredibly comprehensive product portfolio. JAF’s employees provide expert support in the search for the perfect CLT for each project. Furthermore, CLT and all other wood products – from doors to terraces – can be delivered quickly and reliably. This shows the advantages of the timber trade company’s enormous strength in logistics and its extensive, international warehouse network.

Innovative housing concepts thanks to CLT

The modular housing solutions of Upper Austrian construction company Libertydot Home, which receives cross-laminated timber and façade elements from JAF, are examples of the modern and smart ways in which CLT can be used even for unconventional projects. Libertydot Home creates modular housing solutions, such as tiny houses or bungalows, and relies completely on the strengths of CLT. Thanks to the high degree of prefabrication, much of the work can be done in the company’s assembly hall where the houses are protected from the weather. Prefabrication also reduces the on-site construction time by up to 50%. Often, the assembly of the houses also takes only one day. This way, the time needed to produce and assemble the houses is limited to a maximum of six to eight weeks. With home comfort, a maximum in flexibility and the naturalness and environmental sustainability of wood, the modular solutions created by the Upper Austrian company are right on trend. It is a wonderful example of the innovative power of regional companies which JAF is happy to support in the implementation of their individual projects.

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From tiny houses to the branch office of company Polar which you can see in this picture – JAF finds individual solutions for every CLT project © Holzbau Schiffbänker