CLT (X-LAM) Timber Structure
A CLT structure is not built: it is assembled. The real work already happened at the factory, at cutting; on site remain the precision of the first wall, the right screws in the right places, and one true rule — timber must never touch concrete nor stay wet while standing still.
Overview
TAV. 00A CLT (cross-laminated timber) structure uses large solid-timber panels as load-bearing walls and floors. It is a prefabricated, dry system: panels arrive cut to the millimetre and are assembled in days, cutting time, noise and waste. For the same performance it weighs a fraction of concrete, stores carbon instead of emitting it, and offers timber comfort and aesthetics that are hard to match.
The site score
TAV. HThe detail of the craftfrom model to schedule
Design and prefabrication
BIM modelling and CNC cutting of the panels in the factory, with pre-arranged holes and joints.
"In CLT, mistakes are made at the desk and seen at the crane."site notebook — editorial synthesis
click a beat · arrow keys ← → walk the site · dashed pauses are the chemistry at work
Time that doesn't wait
The dry site
No water in the processes means no chemical waits: the CLT score has no dashed pauses. The risk moves entirely to logistics — crane, deliveries, weather — and to the desk, where mistakes are born.
The flip side: such a fast site does not forgive improvised logistics. An idle crane is CLT's "dead time" — prevented at beat 01, not on site.
The rule that rules
Water is the only enemy
Timber tolerates rain that runs off and dries; it does not tolerate rain that stands. Three points decide everything: the base separated from concrete, horizontal joints that drain, panel ends covered at day's end.
It applies to storage too: panels raised off the ground, spaced, covered yet ventilated — a clinging tarp that condenses is standing water as well.
How it ages (and what betrays it)
TAV. PQuestions from the site
TAV. QDoesn't timber burn?
It burns predictably: solid timber chars at a known rate and the charred layer shields the section's core, which is designed exactly that way. That is why a well-sized CLT wall keeps bearing for a long time even in fire — details and protections matter, as always.
What if it rains during assembly?
A brief wetting that can dry out is no drama: the enemy is water standing in horizontal joints and panel ends. Hence: fast sequences, sheets at day's end, and an envelope closed early.
How long does assembly really take?
For a two-storey house the panels go up in days, not months — the most photogenic phase and the shortest. The real site time stays in foundations before and finishes after.
Do you still need external insulation?
Almost always yes: the panel alone insulates little. Wood fibre is the natural companion — summer phase shift and vapour permeability in order — and the envelope can close as rendered ETICS or a ventilated facade.
Materials involved
TAV. MReference regulations
5 norms- D.M. 16/02/2007Fire-resistance classification of construction products and elementsIn force
- D.M. 17/01/2018Technical Standards for Construction (NTC 2018)In force
- D.M. 58/2017D.M. 58/2017: the Sismabonus and the seismic-risk classesIn force
- Eurocodici (EN 1990–1999)The Eurocodes: the European language of structural designIn force
- OPCM 3274/2003Seismic classification of the territory and technical rules for construction in seismic zonesIn force
Informational links to the regulatory framework. Always verify the current text on the official source.