Garage completely made of wood
24.10.2022
What seemed impossible for a long time is now a reality: wood can also be used for structural components in contact with the ground, such as basements or garages. In order to be able to mass-produce such components from wood in the future, the Bern University of Applied Sciences is still clarifying some research questions. In Schattenhalb BE, a garage is currently being built entirely of wood.
In the Geissholzli in the picturesque Bernese Oberland, the different epochs of timber construction meet. The home of the Maurer family from 1997 was built in log construction and shows the proven carpenter's art. This includes a good constructive wood protection with the large canopy. The wood on the facade ages evenly and has a beautiful patina. The constructions of walls and ceilings are protected from moisture and are built for eternity.
The latest technologies are used in front of this house: Cross-laminated timber panels and the TS3 technology are used to create the floor slab and base walls of a garage, which stands in the ground on three sides. Thanks to several protective layers and moisture monitoring, wood can now be used in contact with the ground. For a long time, this was considered impossible. The combination of innovations from the fields of timber construction and flat roofs makes this new area of application possible. TS3 technology combines the CLT panels to form a stable monocoque box, various protective layers protect this - just like a flat roof, simply inverted and installed in the ground.
The builder Bruno Zumbrunn-Maurer is looking forward to his new garage. "As a timber construction engineer, I am interested in new applications for wood. Until now the components in contact with the ground would have been made of CO₂-intensive reinforced concrete. In contrast, trees store this greenhouse gas in the wood during their growth and thus store it in the long term. Thanks to the cross-laminated timber garage, our gasoline car now drives 22,000 kilometers climate-neutrally. It is important for the future that we use wood permanently in buildings wherever it is possible and makes sense. That's why I'm glad that these requirements have been met in our project."
Research project at the Bern University of Applied Sciences
Still a number of research questions still need to be clarified so that basement floors and other ground-contact components can be mass-produced from wood in the future. A research project is currently underway at the Bern University of Applied Sciences. The startup Timbase is being formed from the group of research partners. As a total contractor, it will take over the planning, production, delivery, assembly and warranty of future basements made of wood.
Read more about wooden basements in our special issue.
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Involved project Geissholzli:
- Client: Bruno & Priska Zumbrunn-Maurer
- TU and TS3 technology: Timber Structures 3.0 AG www.ts3.biz
- Waterproofing technology: Contec AG www.contec.ch
- Installation of waterproofing: Gyger Flachdachbau AG www.gygerflachdach.ch
- Production and configuration Moisture monitoring: ProGeo AG www.progeo.com
- Production of cross laminated timber: Schilliger AGwww.schilliger.ch