Wood construction is more sustainable, more beautiful, and might also be less expensive in the long run, according to a new report by Metsä Wood, a European wood construction supplier. The use of prefabricated building elements made out of wood allows faster building turnaround, leading to more profitable construction projects, shorter investment payback times and fewer on-site accidents.
The company looked at how utilizing these elements, like laminated veneer lumber roof panels, change the construction process at a building site. These panels can be assembled within a single working day, and ultimately provide on-site weather protection with no additional costs by sheilding the building site beneath much more effectively than a temporary tent.
With prefabrication, large sections of a building can be constructed offsite in a controlled indoor environment, reducing the risk of accidents and consequent delays.
“Assembling ready-made wood elements can replace the potentially more dangerous process of having to build a roof from beams, panels and bitumen at the heights of an unfinished building,” says Lambert van den Bosch, a project subcontractor in charge of wood construction at Heko Spanten. “On-site accidents are of course not frequent, but every single one of them should be avoided.”
It can also reduce on-site waste and the need to transport it after the project is done, as well as cutting back loose on-site building materials that can be unwieldy and difficult to protect from weather and theft.
