“If the 19th century was the century of steel and the 20th century the century of concrete, then the 21st century is about engineered timber.” — Professor Alex de Rijke

Pyramids are the most stable and enduring of all structures. Since their weight is widely distributed, intuitively this would enable them to have lighter frames and shallower foundations than vertical-walled buildings.

  Oasis Cities and engineered timber could thus be a match made in heaven..! 

CLT (cross-laminated timber) building in Brisbane, Australia

• Lightweight, yet strong and durable –
  • MET (Mass Engineered Timber) can be 30% lighter than concrete, yet it has a higher strength-to-weight ratio than both concrete and steel. This permits long spans offering greater flexibility in floor layouts.

• Time and manpower savings through prefabrication
  • Components are assembled and cut to order at the factory, so less time and manpower is needed for actual construction at the work site. Utilising MET in construction projects could yield up to 25% time and manpower savings at the project level, resulting in significant productivity improvement.

• Environmentally friendly

  • Engineered wood can be produced from relatively small trees, rather than large pieces of solid dimensional lumber, which requires cutting a large tree. This means that timber can be harvested from sustainably managed forests.  Utilising timber as a building material is also beneficial for the environment, as it traps carbon for life, mitigating climate change. Approximately 50% of timber’s dry weight consists of carbon, which could otherwise be released into the atmosphere if the timber is allowed to decay.  With proper care, structures built with MET can be maintained indefinitely, and the carbon will not be released back into the environment. 

• Built to resist the elements
  • MET structures do not require regular maintenance or treatment.  The timber is also fire-resistant, and does not burn but chars.  The charred layer also serves as an insulating layer, which protects the inner core from heating up.  

A proposed engineered timber office building in Sydney, Australia