Sustainable, versatile and durable, glulam brings a lightness and elegance to the buildings in which it is used. But there is something more than this too, a less definite characteristic that it shares with natural wood: it is a human material. People respond to its warmth and scale and the crafted qualities of the connections.
These features have contributed to a long-established timber culture in mainland Europe. When BDP worked with Wiehag on the Reading Business School, we were shown a shopping centre in Austria with a 90m span glulam roof. This was not seen as exotic or extravagant, simply an elegant use of the optimum material. The straight and dense-fibred trees available in Europe make it a more natural choice than in the UK, but sourcing and transporting timber either raw or processed need not be an insurmountable obstacle to its use here.
The UK has smaller, but no less skilled glulam suppliers than its continental neighbours. Indeed, BDP has worked with several of them to develop specific connection details for our gridshell roofs or composite beams involving glulam and other materials. The best structures result from these close relationships, formed early on in a project. In addition, but independently, our universities are actively pursuing timber research – composite beams, timber shear connectors and the like.
So where now? From students to the public, there is an enthusiasm for the development and use of glulam and timber products. The key to progress lies with us all. Designers, researchers and timber suppliers must have the imagination and courage to create and deliver new ideas together from the outset and thus demonstrate the huge potential of glulam.
