Day 2 of the WoodSolutions tour of South England commenced with a visit to a cross laminated timber (CLT) site – St John’s College School in Cambridge. The completed structure will house a classroom, science bock, music and drama centre. The panels have been trucked 1000km from Switzerland. Onsite in Cambridge, a team of 4 builders will construct the 2 storey building in less than 2 weeks.
When asked why the client chose wood, the site engineer replied, ‘Wood keeps it simple. There is very little work onsite. It is a stable material and much quicker to build with. It is much more forgiving than concrete or steel. If you make a mistake you can simply cut it in seconds.’
The window opening (above) is simply cut out of the CLT with no need for lintels or other support as the wood is strong enough in itself.
In contrast Greensted church (below) has been storing carbon for over a millenium. It dates back to AD1000 and is one of the oldest standing wood buildings in the world. It uses a vertical stave construction. The church bears witness to the work of Saxon, Norman, Tudor and Victorian builders who variously extended, repaired and restored the building over the ages. In 1848/9 the church underwent severe restoration works, and in 1990 works were undertaken to stabilise the church as it stands today, whilst in 2005 the spire was completely re-shingled in oak.
The River Cam is a popular punting spot, even in what most Australians would consider the sort of wearther to keep ducks inside - so we adjourned to the Darwin Study Centre and enjoyed the view from the green oak framed building.
The Darwin Study Centre, home of Charles Darwin himself, was designed to maximise the view of the river whilst reducing traffic noise from the road. Hence it faces the opposite direction to that which you might think. The green oak structural beams are starting to crack but just add character to the beautifully planned room. Kiln dried oak furniture sit perfectly in this area.
Cambridge Institute for Education (below) opened in 2005 constructed with Glulam support beams.
The library (below) consists of common joists and twined primaries.
Cambridge Swimming pool (below)
