Advantages & Benefits of Glulam

Stronger than steel

Glulam is an innovative laminated timber structural solution used in a wide variety of commercial and residential projects. Perfect for long span and curved designs, glulam is the construction material that offers strength without aesthetic compromise.

Locally available and environmentally sustainable material

The first and most obvious benefit of glulam is that its main component, timber, grows out of the ground and does not need to be mined and subjected to the high energy demand manufacturing processes that steel and cement require.

Flexibility of shape and size

The lamination process is inherently flexible and we can produce glulam in sizes ranging from 45mm x 45mm up to 250mm x 1800mm x 30m long. Our glulam is made using European mechanical presses which can be configured to make custom and often complex curved shapes.

Appearance

Glulam is often chosen over steel or concrete for its appearance, and is often credited with creating a warm and comfortable feel to a building. There are many different timber species and treatments available all with their own character that can be tailored to suit your requirements.

Excellent strength to weight ratio

Timber has an excellent strength to weight ratio in comparison with steel and concrete. If you consider equivalent beam sizes for the same load bearing capacity in glulam and steel, glulam has approximately 1.5 – 2 times the strength to weight ratio of steel. This means there is a benefit in the ‘buildability’ of glulam structures – this could be it becomes possible to manhandle a beam into a roof space, or on a larger scale, craning of large prefabricated roof elements becomes feasible. Another advantage is that smaller foundations are needed for a reduced structure weight.

Durability

Species of timber, type of glue and preservative type and application are all factors in the durability of glulam. Given the correct specification glulam can be used for the most onerous of conditions. One instance where glulam is chosen for its durability is in swimming pool structures – this is a particularly corrosive environment with high humidity and chlorine levels and glulam provides a durable low maintenance solution. Glulam is designed to last for decades with a minimum of maintenance.

Consistency of Performance

The process of glue laminating timber eliminates the natural performance variations that characterise solid sawn timber. As glulam beams are engineered wood products manufactured to meet specific performance criteria, the specifier and user can be assured that glulam products will consistently perform as expected.

Fire

Large section timber elements actually perform very well in fires. This is due to the way in which timber chars at a known rate and does not deform like steel. Fire performance of glulam has been the subject of extensive research and structural glulam members can be designed to last a certain period of time in a fire based on the rate at which it chars. Additional fire protective finishes can be used to further increase the fire performance.

High strength and dimensional stability

Laminated timber is far superior to solid timber due to its high strength and dimensional stability. Where solid timber posts and beams will crack and twist, a glulam member in the same size (and often smaller) will remain stable for many years as well as retaining its aesthetic appeal.

Environmental performance

Glulam beams are very efficient to produce. The energy required to produce a glue-laminated beam from the log is only a fraction of the energy required to produce steel or concrete. Glulam has superior earthquake resilience and greater resistance to fire than any other structural construction material.

Before you start
your project, let's chat

Contact Techlam

Stay up to date with techlam

Sign up to our newsletter

Join the
techTALK

[forminator_form id="22323"]