Crews have finished work on the Netherlands’ first large-scale modular housing project built entirely from laminated veneer lumber: a 103-unit, five-storey complex assembled from 436 prefabricated timber modules, all craned into place and completed in less than four weeks.
That is according to Metsä Wood, which confirmed its Kerto LVL was used for the entire load-bearing structure of the Xylino complex in Almere — named after the Greek word for wood — a project developed by housing corporation De Alliantie and constructor Koopmans Bouwgroep, with all modules manufactured off-site by geWOONhout.
The building delivers a mix of mid-market rental units, social housing apartments and ground-level residences, supported by a semi-underground parking structure and a shared car-free courtyard. It comes as the EU pours money into industrialised timber construction to tackle chronic housing shortages across the continent.
Wood Central understands each module arrived on site with plumbing, electrical and ventilation already installed, and that the structural system — four corner columns with integrated floor and roof elements — locks together without the need for a concrete core, a significant departure from conventional multi-storey residential construction.
And whilst CLT is the more common choice in mass timber construction, geWOONhout went with Kerto LVL — a product manufactured from 3-millimetre-thick veneers glued together, either uniformly or with 20 per cent laid crosswise depending on application — which Metsä Wood says is up to 50 per cent more resource-efficient than comparable mass timber products whilst delivering equivalent structural performance.
Sprint construction: four apartments a day
Installation followed what Metsä Wood called a sprint-based approach — ditching the traditional linear schedule in favour of rapid, concentrated bursts of activity — with teams placing eight to twelve modules per day and assembling three to four apartments simultaneously.
“This system is ready to be repeated,” according to Bas Broeke, Project Manager at Koopmans Bouwgroep. “The way it works here means we can apply it in many more places.”
CNC machining held tolerances to within 0.5 millimetres across all components, and every part in the system has a digital twin accessible via a QR code — containing dimensions, specifications, and end-of-life instructions that support both manufacturing consistency today and disassembly in the future.
The project also achieves R120 fire classification, providing 120 minutes of structural resistance as required for Dutch buildings exceeding 13 metres in height, whilst acoustic performance is delivered through olivine aggregate added to the floors — a mineral that also captures CO₂ — combined with acoustic decouplers between modules to prevent sound transmission.
And the environmental credentials extend far beyond the structure, with lighter foundations reducing transport emissions, PEFC-certified wood sourced throughout demonstrating responsible sourcing, and all site operations powered by solar. The completed buildings even feature solar panels, high-performance insulation and rainwater harvesting, whilst modules are designed from the outset for disassembly and material recovery. Low-carbon concrete was deployed only for the semi-underground parking facility.
Speaking about the project, Aafke Van der Werf, Director of geWOONhout — which manufactured all 436 modules — said the result speaks for itself. “The best thing about Xylino is that you can’t tell from the outside that it was built using industrialised methods,” she said. “To me, that proves that architectural freedom and modular construction can go hand in hand.”
