PROJECT DETAILS
A2: Compared to solid sawn timber, STRUCTURAL LVL offers more consistent mechanical properties, higher strength-to-weight ratio, and better resistance to warping, splitting, or shrinking. Defects like knots are distributed across the veneers, reducing their impact on overall strength.
High-Strength Window & Fa莽ade Mullions
LVL鈥檚 small-section, high-capacity characteristics allow 45 脳 190 mm mullions to span 4.5 m floor heights while supporting double-glazed unitised panels up to 3 kN/m虏 wind load. The material鈥檚 low thermal conductivity (位 鈮� 0.12 W m鈦宦� K鈦宦�) improves fa莽ade U-value compared with aluminium stiffeners, aiding code compliance for NZEB towers .
Roof-Up / Podium Transfer Beams
On 鈥減odium鈥� RC floors that carry 8鈥� timber storeys above, 2 m deep steel-timber hybrid box beams use LVL as the top & bottom chords. With 24 m lengths available, a single LVL chord can carry 4 MN ultimate tension, eliminating field splices and accelerating the critical-path transfer-level installation by 30 % .
Temporary Load-Transfer Trusses During Top-Down Construction
In basements excavated beneath existing high-rises, contractors erect 12 m span LVL king-post trusses to carry 500 kN column loads while permanent RC slabs are cast. After curing, the trusses are removed and reused, lowering temporary-works cost versus steel needles by 20 %.
Vibration Mitigation Floor Panels
LVL rib panels (LVL joists + 18 mm OSB) factory-bonded with visco-elastic strips raise floor natural frequency above 9 Hz, meeting stringent office-build-out criteria for 6鈥�m column grid high-rises without additional concrete topping .
In summary, LVL鈥檚 high strength-to-weight ratio, long stock lengths, and reliable mechanical properties enable its use anywhere in tall buildings鈥攆rom lightweight formwork 300 m up to primary gravity/wind elements inside 80 m timber-hybrid towers鈥攄elivering faster, safer, and lower-carbon construction cycles.
Transfer Plates for Podium Levels
Advantage: Lighter than steel, reduces crane demand and foundation load.
Use: LVL beams act as temporary or permanent load distributors between timber upper floors and concrete podiums.
