"10 to 10." Building with Timber is Booming

14.02.2018

Timber buildings are increasingly becoming the focus of public attention. Last night, the news magazine "10 vor 10", which averages 420,000 people, reported on the increasing use of timber in large residential projects. In addition to one ETH professor, two Timbatec employees were interviewed.

A house is made of timber. This has been clear for a long time, says "10 vor 10"- moderator Arthur Honegger in the moderation of the report on large timber buildings in Switzerland. But then other building materials, especially concrete, would have replaced timber.

Timber is back  

However, this has changed in recent years: Timber is also increasingly being used in large construction projects. Timber multi-family houses are booming, according to the report. Building permits for timber buildings have risen steadily by 117 percent since 2005, mainly thanks to relaxed fire protection regulations.  

Implenia: Building with timber is more efficient  

The news magazine presents several major Swiss timber construction projects, including Implenia's "sue&til" project in Winterthur, for which Timbatec is responsible for timber construction planning. Why timber construction? "10 to 10" wants to know this from a representative of the Implenia construction group: Adrian Wyss of Implenia explains that timber buildings are in demand because of their sustainability and because timber offers residents a good living environment. In addition, the timber construction method is faster and more efficient, and the construction time is thus shorter.  

Complete planning from a single source  

According to the report, timber construction is faster because the entire detailed planning and the manufacture of the elements are all of the same piece. This is also emphasized by Timbatec employee Urs Flükiger, who is also questioned by "10 to 10": When planning in 3-D, you see everything from the outset, can solve problems quickly and thus bring faultless elements to construction. 

ETH Professor: More will be built with timber  

In the report of the news magazine, Professor Andrea Frangi from ETH Zurich also has his say. He is convinced: "We will use more timber as a building material and increasingly combine timber with other materials," says the professor.