Metsä Wood: New sustainable hybrid sandwich elements combine concrete and wood

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HELSINKI, Finland, Oct. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hybrid construction offers construction companies a more sustainable way of building without changing their current building methods. Metsä Wood and its partners have designed a hybrid sandwich wall element, which will renew offsite construction. The innovation combines concrete with Kerto® LVL (laminated veneer lumber). The lighter weight of the hybrid sandwich wall elements proved to be a valuable benefit in the first construction project at Metsä Fibre's Rauma sawmill.  

Hybrid construction will increase sustainability

Skanska, the constructor of Metsä Fibre's new Rauma sawmill, has set up ambitious goal for itself as it aims to be carbon neutral globally by 2045.

"We are happy to try new, innovative things and partnerships, and the use of these new hybrid sandwich elements in the new Rauma sawmill is a great example of this kind of cooperation. The use of hybrid elements reduces the amount of concrete, and the elements are also lighter than typical elements," says Ilkka Romo, Director of the Productivity and Quality Unit at Skanska.

Romo foresees that wood construction will increase over the next couple of years, and there is already now more demand. The forms of wood construction and their impact on business and customer wishes are under review.

The element productions easy  

In the production of a hybrid sandwich wall element, a Kerto LVL panel forms the load-bearing core. This is followed by an insulation layer and reinforced concrete facade.

"After overcoming the initial challenges, the production of the hybrid sandwich wall elements has been as easy as the production of concrete sandwich elements. We have succeeded in this thanks to the close cooperation with and extensive know-how of our partners," says Satu Lipsanen, CEO of Lipa-Betoni.

Smooth installation of hybrid sandwich elements at the construction site

The installation of the hybrid sandwich wall elements for the first floor, 100 m², of the building took five hours.

"The assembly of the hybrid sandwich wall elements has been similar to the usual concrete sandwich elements. We were able to use a lighter crane in the assembly as the hybrid sandwich wall elements are lighter than traditional sandwich elements. Their lighter weight can bring savings in a large construction project," says Petri Puputti, Construction Manager, Skanska.

The sorting building will be ready by the end of 2021. The sawmill is planned to be ready in Q3 2022.

Read the article about innovative hybrid sandwich element. 

Pictures: https://databank.metsagroup.com/l/_HmGnGStqxc5

For more information, please contact:
Henni Rousu, Communications Manager, Metsä Wood
tel. +358 40 554 8388, [email protected]

www.metsawood.com 

Metsä Wood is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of engineered wood products. We process valuable log wood into environmentally friendly products for the construction and transport industries, which are both megatrend-driven businesses of the future. Our main products are Kerto® LVL, birch and spruce plywood and further processed sawn timber. Material-efficient wood products store carbon and play an important role in combatting climate change. 

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SOURCE Metsä Wood

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