Cranleigh School’s new building combines steel frame and wood elements
Cranleigh School in Surrey in the United Kingdom was established in 1865. As part of the historic school’s campus development project, two old buildings have been renovated and turned into the van Hasselt Centre – a new building with teaching space and a café.
The centre was built using a hybrid structure consisting of a steel frame superstructure with wooden roof and floor elements. Metsä Wood’s Kerto® LVL (laminated veneer lumber) products were used for the prefabricated wood elements.
Kerto LVL makes construction fast, light and green
“Timber is used extensively in this project and is inherent in its design concept. The structural timber is exposed to view throughout, providing maintenance-free soffits that give character and warmth to the building’s spaces,” explains Jack Stephenson from the architects Allies & Morrison, the office responsible for the project’s architectural design. “The prefabricated timber panels were chosen not only for visual reasons but also for their fast installation and lightness,” he continues.
Prefabrication saves time on the construction site
The roof and floor elements were manufactured by Belgian company Dupac. Kerto® LVL S-beams and Kerto® LVL Q-panels were used as loadbearing components, and structural gluing enabled long spans for the elements, allowing big openings to bring light to the school building’s rooms. The elements also give stability to the steel frame.
The elements were entirely prefabricated, a decision that allowed work to be done simultaneously onsite and offsite. Careful logistics planning ensured just-on-time deliveries, minimising the need to store material onsite while enabling uninterrupted installation. Steel frame and wood elements were pre-drilled to limit work onsite and minimise damage. The lightweight Kerto LVL elements are fast and easy to install on the construction site.
Read more about Cranleigh School’s hybrid-structured new building
Images: https://databank.metsagroup.com/l/b6Vbj9r8NMBR
For more information, please contact:
Viivi Kylämä, Marketing Manager, Metsä Wood, mobile: +358 40 820 9850, viivi.kylama@metsagroup.com
Kirk Nichols, VP Sales, Americas, Metsä Wood USA, mobile: (404) 861-1098, kirk.nichols@metsagroup.com
For press information in UK, please contact:
Matt Trace, Director, Defero Communications, tel. 07828663988, matt@deferouk.co.uk
Metsä Wood
www.metsawood.com
Metsä Wood is one of the leading European producers of engineered wood products. We are committed to serving three segments: construction, industrial and distribution customers. Our primary products are Kerto® LVL, plywood and other wood products. We also sell Nordic timber produced by Metsä Fibre.
In 2018, Metsä Wood's sales were EUR 0.4 billion, and it employs approximately 1,500 people. Metsä Wood is part of Metsä Group.
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