Timber construction reaches new heights in Norway

The fourteen-storey building, called Treet – meaning ‘tree’ in Norwegian –will reach heights of 49 metres once completed, taking the title of tallest timber structure from the existing record holder in Melbourne, Australia.

The project is being led by Bergen and Omegn Building society (BOB), a Norwegian housing association committed to providing energy efficient developments, and has been designed by sustainable architecture practice Artec.

As tall buildings present unique challenges in keeping the structure safe and stable under high winds, under the advice of structural engineer, Sweco AS, prefabricated glulam modules will be stacked four storeys high to provide increased stability. The building’s timber frame will be reinforced with diagonal glulam braces and additional weight added to further reduce movement.

The Glulam and CLT for the project will be supplied by Moelven Limte and Stora Enso, while housing contractor Kodumaja will be responsible for the prefabrication.

The building will act as a pilot to demonstrate how it is possible to use modern methods of construction to meet tomorrow’s standards for sustainability. Almost 900 m³ of lumber will be used in the tower’s load-bearing structures, resulting in a saving of approximately 1,800 tonnes of CO2 to award some impressive carbon credentials.

Work started in April 2014, with the whole project due to be completed in autumn 2015.

Ole Kleppe, who is managing the project for BOB, said: “The pilot project will show how we can build high-rise timber projects that are sustainable. It will bind approximately one thousand tonnes of carbon in the wooden constructions - an important contribution to reducing emissions of CO2."

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