The German Brettstaple solid wood construction system is to be used to build a large two-storey extension at the Forestry Commission Wales visitor centre in Coed-y-Brenin.
Work on the 400m² structure, to include a new bike shop with cycle hire, a multi-functional conference and meeting room and café overflow area, will start in October.
The existing 500m² visitor centre is struggling to cope with visitor numbers since opening in 2006.
The Brettstaple build system is similar to cross-laminated timber (CLT) in using low-grade softwood connected together to form solid wood walls.
But its key difference is dispensing with glue – CLT consists of planks laminated together – and nails.
Brettstaple is held together with hardwood dowels that swell and tighten, “locking” the walls together and creating a structural load-bearing system.
The panels will be made for the first time in the UK by a timber frame builder from Welshpool, using Welsh wood.
The design, by Architype, has won praise from the Design Council Wales.
“One of our aims was to push the boundaries of sustainable design and move away from the tokenism or eco bling of adding technologies such as photovoltaic panels to an otherwise conventional building in order to gain a sustainability label,” said FC Wales recreation manager John Taylor.
