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In industrial and commercial construction, cross-laminated timber is a sustainable, cost-efficient and architecturally ambitious alternative. Furthermore, it offers employees a healthy work environment © Holzbau Unterrainer

Holzbau Unterrainer

Curved on demand

Article by Günther Jauk, translated by Susanne Höfler | 22.11.2018 - 17:48
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Halls made from wood by Unterrainer blend harmonically into the landscape © Holzbau Unterrainer

Steep is the best word to describe Holzbau Unterrainer's development since its founding twelve years ago until today. In 2010 already, the young company invested in a cross-laminated timber press with a production capacity of 20,000 m³/yr. General manager Leonhard Unterrainer had the idea for this during his education already where he first came into contact with CLT. "Quickly, I became aware of the advantages and in particular the potential of this new timber construction style", Unterrainer remembers.

Today, the enterprise is focusing on single-family houses as well as industrial and commercial buildings. Within a certain range, Unterrainer is taking on CLT projects from the board to the erect object - moreover, the East Tyrolean company supplies fully joined elements. "Besides our deep understanding of the problems and challenges of modern timber construction, other timber construction companies particularly appreciate our speed. We know what it is like to be hard-pressed for time which is why delivery times for our loyal customers are significantly lower than the current average", the manager reports.

Time is also an important deciding factor for private investors and public developers, Unterrainer emphasizes. The short assembly times of CLT on the construction site render an advantage compared to other massive construction systems.

Radius timber

Next to classical CLT, Unterrainer is primarily known for the specially developed radius timber which is curved CLT with radiuses from 2 m onwards and maximum component dimensions of 13.5 by 2.95 m. The elements are produced in the same press as the standard CLT where special pressure elements create the desired bend.

Radius timber is available in spruce and larch. The annual output is roughly 1000 m³. "For the timber industry, the market is too small and costs are too high which opens up a successful niche for us", Unterrainer reasons. First and foremost, radius timber is used in residential buildings. For hall construction, Unterrainer also developed a modular barrel roof for halls of all lengths. The barrel roof segments of 2.95 m of length are made from curved CLT with a thickness fo 160 mm - at a span of 20 m, they can carry a snow load of 450 kg/m². Also here, Unterrainer scores with speed: For the construcion of 1200 m² of hall area, he calculates around eight days of assembly time.

Healthy growth

In total, Unterrainer is currently producing roughly 8000 m³/yr of straight and curved cross-laminated timber. With the investment into a new joining center the company wants to boost its output to 12,000 m³/yr. "Our customers appreciate our quality as well as our service. Demand is remarkably high, and I think that this won't change in the near future", Unterrainer concludes.