Thursday, November 21, 2024
Metsä Wood introduces an innovative solution for timber construction with the Kerto-Ripa wall element, offering exceptional load-bearing capacity and material efficiency.
Designed for heavily stressed structures such as apartment blocks and office buildings, the new element serves as a load-bearing and stiffening external and internal wall structure. Its thinner construction maximizes usable floor space, a critical advantage in modern building design.
“The Kerto-Ripa wall element complements the Kerto-Ripa element concept that is developed for wooden multi-storey construction,” says Janne Heikkilä, Technical Customer Service Team Leader at Metsä Wood.
Exceptional Material Efficiency and Sustainability
The Kerto-Ripa wall element is a ribbed slab structure crafted from Kerto LVL panels and beams using structural gluing. This advanced design achieves outstanding load-bearing performance for both vertical and horizontal loads, using significantly less material compared to traditional timber construction methods. The result is a thinner wall structure that enhances spatial flexibility.
According to Metsä Wood, structural calculations demonstrate that the Kerto-Ripa wall element can reduce wood material usage in the ground floor walls of an eight-story building by up to 50% compared to solid wood structures. Despite this reduction, it retains superior load-bearing capacity, making it suitable for taller wooden buildings.
“Thinner structures and less material use are also strongly linked to sustainability. Despite the renewable wood material, we need to pay special attention to the amount of material used,” Heikkilä explains.
Flexibility and Life Cycle Advantages for Modern Construction
Modern building design increasingly values adaptability. The Kerto-Ripa concept supports the creation of large, open spaces by enabling long spans without the need for load-bearing partition walls. This adaptability is advantageous for both residential and office construction, supporting efficient use of space throughout a building’s lifecycle.
The Kerto-Ripa elements not only save materials but also provide economic advantages. For customers, developers, and investors, thinner walls translate to more usable square meters available for sale.
Efficiency Through Prefabrication
A key benefit of the Kerto-Ripa wall element is its contribution to construction efficiency. Prefabricated in controlled factory environments, the elements are protected from weather variations, ensuring consistent quality and reducing on-site construction time.
Kerto-Ripa roof and intermediate floor elements, which have been in use for over a decade, showcase the advantages of prefabrication. These elements also allow for discreet placement of HVAC systems within hollow structures, further streamlining construction processes.
Comprehensive Structural System for Manufacturers
Metsä Wood supports element manufacturers by providing a full structural system, including components from floor to ceiling. While the company does not manufacture the elements directly, it offers design support to help partners begin production eligible for CE marking.
Companies already equipped to produce Kerto-Ripa elements can easily incorporate the new wall elements into their existing production lines. The availability of a complete structural system is expected to attract new manufacturers to the market.
“We provide design support for our partners and assist them in launching production eligible for CE marking. Companies already equipped to produce Kerto-Ripa elements can also manufacture these new wall elements on the same production line. Now that a comprehensive structural system from floor to ceiling is available, we believe new players will also join the market,” says Jyrki Uimonen, Sales Development Director at Metsä Wood.
This new innovation marks a significant step forward in sustainable and efficient timber construction, offering solutions that meet the demands of modern architecture while minimizing environmental impact.
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Tags: Kerto-Ripa, timber construction, Wood & Panel, wood and panel, wood magazine Europe, woodworking, woodworking and manufacturing, woodworking and processing, woodworking industry, woodworking magazine, woodworking news, woodworking UK
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