As a leader of innovation in the glulam segment, the Hasslacher Group offers a variety of products in this area: from straight standard components, block-glued or composite construction elements, composite beams and theoretically endlessly long glulam components for constructions with wide spans to free-formed components, hybrid construction elements and hardwood glulam. Below, you can read about selected innovations and reference projects.
The block-glued glulam posts of the 84-meter-tall wooden skyscraper “HoHo” in Seestadt Aspern in Vienna have cross-sections of 400 mm by 400 mm to 400 mm by 1,240 mm © (c) by KiTO / Michael Baumgartner
Glue-laminated timber is an industrially manufactured product for load-bearing timber constructions. By definition, glulam consists of at least two laminations, which are dried, sorted according to strength class and glued together with the fibers parallel to each other. Thanks to the automated strength class sorting for which the Hasslacher Group uses X-ray scanners and state-of-the-art laser and camera technology, growth characteristics that have a negative impact on strength are reliably detected and eliminated, thereby making the raw material homogeneous. The gluing adds to the homogenization of the product and results in better mechanical properties. In addition, glulam is dimensionally more stable and less prone to the formation of cracks than conventional timber construction products.
Birch glue-laminated timber
New building for the district administration of Mainz-Bingen, birch glulam © Hasslacher Group
For this innovation, the alternative pioneer tree species birch is used. This type of hardwood not only impresses with its distinctive appearance but also with its excellent mechanical properties which make it possible to have smaller cross-sections. Following a multi-year research project carried out in collaboration with the Technical University of Graz and the Materials Testing Institute in Stuttgart, birch glue-laminated timber obtained the European Technical Assessment certificate ETA-19/0031. With birch glulam, a resource-efficient product is launched on the market, which is designed for the use in load-bearing structures with wide spans or beam systems or posts which are subject to high loads while meeting demanding requirements for aesthetic aspects at the same time.
810 glulam posts, 790 glulam beams and around 2,200 m² of cross-laminated timber (CLT) – these are some of the “ingredients” for an ambitious and innovative project which is being built in Ingelheim in Rhineland-Palatinate: the new building of the district administration of Mainz-Bingen. On an area of around 5,000 m², it will house offices and administrative rooms. After the concrete construction work had been completed, the wooden structure, consisting of posts and beams, as well as the CLT ceilings were installed. The primary load-bearing structure is made of birch glulam. In total, the Hasslacher Group supplied 50 m³ of cross-laminated timber with an Exzellent surface in birch wood and around 313 m³ of birch glulam including joining.
Free-formed glue-laminated timber
These unique flights of stairs were planned, manufactured and pre-assembled at Hasslacher Group’s production site in Kleinheubach © Hasslacher Group / Paul Masukowitz
Free-formed structures typically consist of many individual components of different shapes and sizes, which require holistic planning and production. Hasslacher’s site in Kleinheubach is a competence center in this respect. As a pioneer in this segment, the company masters every step of the process and builds major projects worldwide using free-formed elements. Free-formed hybrid components, for example with cross-sections which have a spruce core and a top layer of high-quality oak, are manufactured as well. The Bjergsted Financial Park project in Stavanger, Norway, is one of the largest timber buildings in Europe and impresses with its unique centerpiece: the glass-covered staircase.
Complete supplier Hasslacher Group
The Hasslacher Group is a global leader of innovation in the field of smart and integrated system solutions for modern timber constructions. The family-run company has been rooted in wood for many generations and has stood for pioneering spirit, performance, quality, sustainability and social responsibility for more than 120 years.
Together with its 2,000 employees, the Hasslacher Group produces innovative lumber, planed timber, glulam, CLT and solid structural timber products for modern timber constructions both for Europe and the global market. True to the motto: “From wood to wonders.”
