Summary
¦ Finnforest’s new warehouse is built from Kerto LVL and glulam.
¦ It measures 130x52m and the two main frames each span 26m.
¦ Timber frame warehouses could be a longer-term development for Finnforest.
When Finnforest decided to build a new warehouse at its site in Boston, Lincolnshire, it turned to its own engineered timber systems, incorporating both Kerto and glulam, to create the structural frame.
The new warehouse, which is more than 130m long and 52m wide, comprises 7.5m-high glulam columns and Kerto purlins.
Constructed at 9m centres, the two main frames span 26m each to achieve the warehouse’s complete width. In addition to the new building, an annexe has been constructed to connect the existing warehousing to it, which, in turn, spans around 10m.
This type of structure is well established in France, where Finnforest has a good business in timber agricultural buildings. In the UK the preference remains for steel, but Finnforest believes that engineered wood could eventually make inroads here too, for merchant warehouses and sheds as well as farm buildings.
“The UK market is still dominated by steel frame, but we’re always looking for opportunities and timber frame on this scale is of interest. It’s a longer-term development,” said Kevin Riley, Finnforest’s vice-president construction industry.
Sustainability credentials
Environmentally speaking, engineered timber such as Kerto and glulam offer far greater ecological and sustainable credentials. With Finnforest timber sourced from PEFC-certified forests, the company says building with its engineered products can result in “reduced environmental impact” over other materials. In fact, it says, every cubic metre of wood used as a substitute for alternatives reduces CO2 emissions to the atmosphere by an average of 1.1 tonnes. According to research by Dr Arno Frühwald of the University of Hamburg’s Centre for Wood Science and Technology, it says, by adding this figure to the CO2 embedded in the wood, each cubic metre saves a total of two tonnes.
Dr Frühwald’s research, added Finnforest, showed that a 10% increase in the number of timber frame houses in Europe would produce sufficient CO2 savings to account for 25% of the reduction prescribed by the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
Fire performance
Amongst Kerto and glulam’s additional advantages is fire performance. Nobody wants to lose the contents of a warehouse in a fire so a timber frame is an ideal solution. As wood slowly chars rather than burns, it will retain its structural integrity in a uniform and predictable manner.
From an aesthetic perspective, Finnforest believes its new warehouse is an improvement too. Due to the location of the Boston warehouse, overlooking The Haven, the river that runs through Boston and out to The Wash, the company wanted to employ materials that would blend in with the vista of the surrounding area, as well as create a visually interesting building. Kerto and glulam made this possible due to their “rich, natural appearance”.
“When considering the benefits of engineered timber versus concrete and steel, Kerto and glulam can outweigh the alternatives for multiple reasons,” said Finnforest. “Aside from their ability to meet environmental standards and regulations, they provide a high level of aesthetic ingenuity. And engineered timber materials of this kind also deliver a far greater strength to weight ratio, making them far easier to install on any project, with the added peace of mind that they will deliver a robust, long-standing building that will continue to look good for years to come.”
