CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER – THE ULTIMATE PANEL

Strong and sustainable, Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) is the ultimate product for residential and commercial construction, including prefabricated flooring, walls and roofing. XLam Cross Laminated Timber panels, made from natural resources, are manufactured in New Zealand by XLam NZ Ltd.

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Newsflash

We have moved to production!    On 23 March 2012, the first CLT panel manufactured in the Southern Hemisphere was lifted from the Xlam press in Nelson, marking the beginning of a new era for engineered timber buildings in New Zealand…MORE

In XLam Cross Laminated Timber, New Zealand will have a new green technology to make buildings which are safer, more comfortable, of superior quality, last longer, use our natural resources wisely and are truly sustainable.

An Introduction to CLT – View the video below to get a quick introduction.

The XLam Advantage

 For building owners and occupiers

Design freedom: ’1 off designs need no extra production time – just the design cost
High, consistent & verifiable quality: through advanced manufacturing techniques
Reduced construction cost: automated factory production vs manual work on site
Predictable construction costs: few if any variations
More efficient use of land: useable attic space (no trusses) = smaller footprint
Energy-efficiency: warm in winter, cool in summer, lower occupancy costs
Healthy building: warmer & drier, less respiratory illness
Safe building: low fire risk, good in earthquakes, maybe lower insurance premiums
Flexibility: buildings can be reconfigured, re-located, and ultimately recycled
Higher resale/rental value: ‘green buildings’ will become more valued in the market
Easier access to finance:  improved security for lenders

For Architects & Structural Engineers

Design freedom: not restricted to standard designs
Cost efficient custom design solutions: greatly expands the available market
Fully engineered solutions: justify more fee income
More time to design: because less site time and less contract management time
Fewer costly errors: aligned with the BIM concept (Building Information Modelling)

For Builders & Developers

Huge reduction in site time: less site labour = big on-site construction savings
Fewer people needed: good people for manual site work are increasingly scarce
Vastly improved working conditions on site: improves loyalty, reduces turnover
Elimination of variations: construction is too fast for variations to emerge
Less subcontracting: factory workers are faster, cheaper and more consistent
Improved bottom line: arising from tighter process control
More sales: the best advertisement is a satisfied customer
Improved image: there is publicity value attached to building in ‘the sustainable way’
Reduced environmental impact: noise, dust, safety hazards etc. (Ideal for infill projects)
Reduced finance cost holding costs: because construction time is slashed

For the Community

Increased carbon sequestration
Improved energy efficiency – reduced load on public infrastructure
Lower greenhouse gas emissions
Reduced expenditure on public health
Employment opportunities for Kiwis

Proven Earthquake Performance

Of particular relevance to New Zealand is the proven performance of XLam in earthquakes.

In 2007 a seven storey Cross Laminated Timber building was fabricated in Italy and shipped to Japan where it was erected and tested on the world’s largest earthquake shake table at Miki, near Kobe. Video of the building interior showed furniture being thrown to the floor during 4g accelerations which would endanger human life (twice as severe as the Canterbury shakes). The cross laminated technology successfully resisted and absorbed the seismic loads, none of the panels were significantly damaged and the building was dismantled and shipped back to Italy where it was reassembled as a student residence.

Masthead Photo credits: Left - Finn forest Merk GmbH, Aichach; middle and right - KLH GmbH Austria.