Industrialising timber craftsmanship: Early glulam within the traditional timber construction in Switzerland

Abstract

Early glue laminated timber in Switzerland was used for many functions: industrial but also regular buildings such as sport halls, cultural buildings and housing. Integration of the new practice was only achieved by involving existing traditional players. Contractors had to bring together a long-standing knowledge of local timber craftsmanship and the patented glulam technology. The paper traces the early onsite construction practice of glulam by looking at the handling of the contractor for both fields, the use of glulam for industrial one-room structures and for the use of large glulam elements in roofs of ordinary buildings. The licensed contractors developed methods for fast and flexible erection of the glulam parts. Key was the development of a constructional unit, the two girder halves with post and tie beams, that was fully joined flat on the ground and then, as an entity, lifted into place, using tripods or other movable lifting devices.