The use of cross laminated timber (CLT) in wood structuring and house building is becoming more popular. Using CLT supports sustainable house building as CLT is an agile and versatile building material. As timber structures become larger and larger and more complex buildings are made out of wood, using CLT will help arcitects and builders make the most out of wood as a building material. In order to support the CLT building boom, ArchiFrame 2021 now includes an enhanced CLT tool add-on that allows detailed and efficient editing of CLT elements.
What is cross laminated timber (CLT)?
CLT (Cross laminated timber) is a solid wood building component made of cross-glued, laminated timber. CLT can be used in all load-bearing structures as it is an unbending but breathable material. It can be used inlower, middle, and upper floors, external and partition walls, railings, terraces, and balconies.
CLT in house building
The use of CLT in construction is growing due to the material’s high performance and developments in sustainability that prioritize the use of renewable and recyclable building materials such as wood. , such as renewable material (wood) and its recyclability. CLT is an energy-efficient wood construction element that contributes to the binding of atmospheric carbon dioxide. By doing so, it outperforms other building materialson sustainability, but at the same time, has similar usage properties as concrete. Because CLT is a solid wood material, it has also been found to be an excellent option for ensuring good indoor air quality. CLT also has a high industrial prefabrication rate, so its production is efficient and relatively low in cost.
How to use the ArchiFrame CLT add-on in your projects
The enhanced CLT add-on inArchiFrame 2021, the CLT tool, allows you to customize each CLT element individually. With the latest ArchiFrame upgrade, you can add CLT elements to your building models faster and more efficiently – just using one click!
For example, you can customize the thickness and density of your CLT layers, the relations of joints to each other, modify the styles of different partitions, and even change the connection methods for joints if necessary. The system automatically saves and updates all changes to the drawings, so that each of your work steps is saved and traceable.
Check out for more information about the ArchiFrame CLT tool add-on from our Youtube channel.
You will also find many other useful tutorial videos on our YouTube channel in both Finnish and English.
Please note that in order to use the new updates, you will need to install the latest version of ArchiFrame. Download the latest ArchiFrame library from ARCHICAD’s library manager.
Need more support with the CLT plug-in, or other features of the software? Contact support@archiframe.fi
Want to discuss more about implementing AF? See our resellers page to find out who your local reseller is.
Further reading on cross-laminated timber (CLT)
Are you interested in CLT as a sustainable and beneficial building material? Here you can find some further reading resources:
Articles:
Production and Technology of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT): A state-of-the-art Report
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Reinhard-
Blogs: