A growing number of American hardwoods are being used in ‘niche’ mass timber applications – with architects leaning on Red oak, White oak and Tulipwood to build some of the world’s most famous projects. And whilst it’s unlikely it will “get the jump on softwoods,” Rod Wiles of the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) said hardwoods do have advantages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“For cross-laminated timber made out of Tulipwood, you need much less wood, much less material, to make panels just as strong. You may only need five layers of Tulipwood in a panel, instead of seven for a softwood panel – given Tulipwood is three times stronger in rolling shear…and the same goes for Red oak and glulam.”<\/p>\nRod Wiles, Regional Director for the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) in Africa, the Middle East, India and Oceania who spoke to Wood Central about the advantages of hardwoods in mass timber.<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
“In Australia, we now have one of the biggest mass timber producers in the southern hemisphere using Red oak to make their glulam products, which is extraordinary and ahead of what’s happening in Europe,” Mr Wiles said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then you have examples of projects like Lord’s Cricket Ground – one of the first to introduce a sustainability policy prioritising using mass timber to reduce its carbon footprint: “Populous architects did these incredible White oak glulam beams that support a shade structure over the Warner Stand. The beams are 20 metres long and three metres deep in the middle. They’re enormous, great things.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n