Development of an automated industrial process and layout for manufacturing a circular timber based
The project consists of a new development of an automated industrialized process and layout for manufacturing a circular timber based . It also includes the industrialization of unpopulated areas, through valuation of local certificated timber, promoting quality jobs creation and giving inclusive access to women and vulnerable group to working environments.
The project is a sustainable circular system with a low CO2 emissions print and reduction and repurposing of the industrial waste.
National
Spain
Cuenca
Mainly rural
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
2022-09-26
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): LIGNUM TECH Type of organisation: For-profit company First name of representative: Sandra Last name of representative: Llorente Monleón Gender: Female Nationality: Spain Function: General Manager Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Pol. SEPES C/Cubillo, 28 Town: Cuenca Postal code: 16004 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 722574888 E-mail:carlos.lopez@lignumtech.es Website:https://lignumtech.es/
The project consists of a new industrialized curtain wall system made of timber as supporting structure. The curtain wall is executed as a ventilated façade with customizable finishing of client’s choosing. An air chamber gives the ventilated façade a better thermal behavior, compared to traditional façade systems. The project also includes the industrialization of unpopulated areas, through valuation of local certificated timber, promoting quality jobs creation and giving inclusive access to women and vulnerable group to working environments.
On the other hand, the project is a sustainable circular system with a low CO2 emissions print and reduction and repurposing of the industrial waste.
Thanks to Its quick and safe assembly on the construction site, also provides for better safety for the construction workers and a lower impact on the surroundings. The building itself benefits from a high isolated, impermeable, and non-thermal bridge envelope, which improves the global thermal inertia of the building.
SUSTAINABILITY
CIRCULARITY
INDUSTRIALIZATION
INCLUSION
INNOVATION
The system is a natural, recyclable, and renewable product, which production process offers less waste compared to other industrialized products. It also requires lower energy consumption and is more environmental responsible. It is a non-toxic product and doesn’t produce any odors or toxic fumes of chemical origin. Timber’s handling is easy and safe.
Due to certified sustainable exploitation is a 100% renewable construction material. New trees are planted and cared for without compromising the natural resources.
Building’s isolation is a fundamental aspect in the reduction of energy use for building’s heating and air conditioning.
Timber is a natural isolating material which reduces the amount of energy necessary to climatize interior spaces. It presents major thermal and acoustic isolation behavior.
From the handling perspective, the system has several advantages. Timber is a highly versatile raw material which can be utilized in diverse ways, while meeting required specifications and requirements, according to the selected application.
The system is executed with simple connections, being so able to adapt to complex structures.
Timber’s durability, whether it’s a beam, a trunk, or a pillar, requires maintenance. However, there are several examples through history of durable structures, such as: Egyptian sarcophagus, sculptures, instruments, vessels, and construction elements.
The material is also easy to find and has a competitive cost compared to other construction materials.
Additionally, it has a variety of application. It allows to be produced on several sizes and dimensions, and to be industrialized.
Furthermore, it offers outstanding mechanical properties, being able to resist compression and traction efforts, with a low density. Timber’s bending strength could exceed concrete’s by up to ten times.
The main innovation of the project regarding the contemporary façade modular construction is the development of isolating and self-supporting façade panels of large format, highly versatile and fully finished. It incorporates innovative between panel fixing systems, simplifying the positioning in-site, and fixing.
The developed façade panels and fixing systems will allow the implementation of innovative modular façades on a mass production level, with clean forms without discontinuities or problematic joints. It presents itself as an efficient, high quality and industrialized façade solution.
Besides, the presented innovative system will allow to reduce the execution periods on construction sites, since the modular panels are fully manufactured offsite, including the exterior coating. The outdoor layer (coating), as well as the external carpentry are entirely customizable
The current evolution of the construction sector is promoting the implementation of innovative and digital construction management systems, incorporating new industrialized construction systems and products. Therefore, generating a need for professional training, innovation, and professional consulting through the complete life cycle of the building, from planning phase to the construction process and facility management.
According to the Paris Agreement of the European Union on global climate change, the mitigation phase (4th phase) will begin during year 2022. This phase consists of the reduce of greenhouse gasses (GHG) according to the Kyoto protocol.
The emission of GHG originates, among other things, on transportation of products. As a result, it is of strategic importance for the EU objectives to generate local industry instead of importing timber systems.
In conformity with it, we have chosen Cuenca as the optimal location for our façade industry, since there is a sustainable certified forest exploitation of structural timber in Cuenca, which belongs to the municipality, promoting the local economic growth.
On the other hand, the factory has been resourced with automated robotic and industrial equipment, reaching an investment over 7 million euros. The provision of this equipment guarantees a healthier, safer, and more inclusive work environment, compared with traditional factories or construction site jobs.
With the opening of our Cuenca’s factory, we have created 45 jobs in a rural environment in less than a year.
In the first building project for 67 homes in Madrid, we have purposed 215 m3 of solid sawn Pino Laricio wood from Cuenca reducing CO2 by 5.15 tons.
In addition, in the construction site where it is being installed, we have reduced construction time by 30%, we have reduced water consumption, dust and noise generation and waste production.
Because of the evolution of the building sector, in the coming years management methodologies will be implemented. Focused on incorporation concepts related to the materials, elements and production systems industrialization.
One of the needs generated by these consequences are the needs of training, innovation and advice in entire professional architecture, construction, construction systems fields.
Their materials and building management throughout their life cycle, from the initial phases of the Real Estate process. The compliance with the guarantee periods will drive until the final phase of conservation and building maintenance.
We are confronted with decreasing the cost-consuming and critical process during the construction process, such as in site construction periods, as well as improving the quality of processes and finishes. Additionally, there is a need of higher energy efficiency. For these reasons, we propose the industrialization of modular façade elements for not only residential buildings, but also office, hospital, and accommodation buildings.
Industrialized buildings present several advantages, such as: high reliability in the supply chain, simplified process, supply of fully finished products, high quality assurance, cost reduction, flexibility, and standardization.
Therefore, industrialization can be defined as a construction methodology involving automatized management, serial manufacture, and advanced design. This allows a major productivity which influences every collaborator on the process.
The industrialized process also brings professional and economic development to unpopulated or non-urban regions, allowing women and vulnerable collectives a more stable, safer, and healthier work environment.
This technology has meant a revolution focusing on traditional methods, for which the evolution of the use of prefabricated elements is essential.
The philosophy consists of turning the construction of a house into an industrial production assembly line. In order to obtain advantages offered by chain work with workshop manufacturing implies, improving the quality of materials and finishes to improve terms and prices.
The historical simile that improved Henry Ford in the automobile world when they began to be produced in chain.
These are the advantages of introducing industrialization in construction:
- Productivity increase.
- Specialization of the workforce.
- Improved safety (accident reduction).
- Increased quality due to greater control in production with better finishes.
- Assembly operations rationalization and systematization.
- Better deadlines (reduction of waiting times: where a storage area would not be necessary).
- Costs reduction, fundamentally due to the reduction of “in situ” labour and time.
- Energy consumption reduction and natural resources.
- Waste and emissions generation’s reduction (debris, packaging, MSW).
The industrialized facades that are manufactured with this project are not assimilable to any other element that is marketed at a European level. The composition and calculation of this type of module is an innovative and disruptive element. The closest thing that could be assimilated to this type of light industrialized façade modules is made up of metallic elements, not wood. That’s why its final price doubles the market price foreseen for this system.
In 2022, 18% of the world’s population lives in houses made with wood. That’s why wood’s construction is having a positive impact on the end user where they find in this material sensations a comfort that are not achievable in other materials. Affordable, well-designed log homes are a growing market. It should be noted that the wood advantages far outweigh its disadvantages as a material.
Likewise, we innovate by manufacturing I am warehouse and not on site. Industrializing, being faster in execution, cleaning, sustainable and in work execution with higher quality due to more detailed control in the factory that in the work itself. Being faster and more affordable to purchase and cheaper to maintain due to its greater energy efficiency.
It is necessary to design numerous types of panels that resolve the different types of encounters with the slab and different design casuistries such as: upper and lower parapet panels, window panels, corner panels, etc.
In addition, the difficulty surrounding the joints treatment must be considered, especially between the insulation layer and the slab, since it must be carried out in situ during the placement of the panel on site.
This project aims to address the challenge of designing and developing new modular panels with a self-supporting wooden structure that allow increasing the versatility of the construction of modular facades from larger panels. In order to be supported and placed continuously in a shorter amount of time and consequently with higher yield.
The technical team of the project develops modular facade panels with new structural materials such wood, which provides greater insulation to the enclosure and therefore an improvement in the home’s energy efficiency. In a way to allow compliance with the most demanding quality standards. These panels will also have the advantages of being mass-produced in the workshop, which will lower production costs and improve their quality and finishes, as they are not subject to the conditions of the work.
On the other hand, for the new modular panels’ implementation, the union between elements complexity must be resolved to guarantee air and water tightness. As well as correct drainage, ventilation, and permissiveness of certain elements. In addition, another points to resolve will be the elements anchoring to the load-bearing structure of the building. As well as the façade modulation in different type of designs that adapt to the work conditions with its corresponding structural calculation for both conditions commissioning or assembly (corner, modules, corner, hang, with or without window, etc.).
The design is perfectly transferable through simple documentation such as plans and a list of materials indicating any particularity.
Complying with the requirements of the Spanish technical building code, we are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals by taking an active part in the decade of action, between 2020 and 2030, to accelerate progress respecting the SDGF (sustainable Development Goals Fund). Action is critical to tackle growing poverty, empower women and girls and tackle the climate emergency. We are committed to the circular economy, the rural areas with great potential repopulation, reindustrialization, decarbonisation, betting on local and sustainable national materials and the inclusion of women in the Real Estate and industrial sectors in the productive fabric. Innovation is part of our DNA. Thus, the construction systems that we produce are the result of investments in R&D and Innovation strong technological vigilance.
Our SDGF are 5: gender equality, 7: affordable and clean energy, 8: decent work and economic growth, 9: industry, innovation and infrastructure, 10: Inequalities’ reduction, 11: sustainable cities and communities, 12: responsible production and consumption and 13: climate action.
