An all wood, prefabricated industrial building erected in five days. Featuring stepped glulam belly beams and a timber diaphragm spanning 100m, this is a cost-effective facility housing a more efficient manufacturing centre for the client’s new Dowel Laminated Timber mass timber product.
The plant, at 4,800m², is a large factory and office structure where timber units are to be fabricated. It was important to ensure that the environment for the employees was warm and welcoming. The structure was made from pre-fabricated timber panels, and the value of using this material was clear - in the tight tolerances achieved, the quality of the manufacture and the integration of architecture and services. The entire shop building was built in a very impressive five days, and to a very tight budget. The judges thought that the different forms of timber used in its construction were a creative use of the material and particularly enjoyed the idea that an all timber building would be used to make timber for other structures. It’s unusual to see a factory constructed fully from this sustainable and locally sourced material.