Modern timber construction: efficiently planned, intelligently executed

But what exactly are modern timber construction methods? For Timbatec, the answer lies not primarily in superlatives, but in careful planning and resource-efficient implementation. This can include projects using locally sourced wood as well as smart solutions for existing buildings. One example is the two-story addition to the Loogarten Foundation Care Center in Esslingen, where twice as many resident rooms were created on the existing structure while maintaining the same floor plan. Due to its light weight, wood is ideally suited for additions. No new construction on a greenfield site was required.

Another approach involves using wood instead of concrete from the outset. Today, structural frames, stairwell cores, and even basements can be constructed using timber. At the same time, structural details are becoming increasingly important. Form-fit wood-to-wood connections and the deliberate avoidance of steel fasteners improve dismantlability and enable the later reuse of building components.

Timber construction is also evolving in the field of building physics. The “sue+til” project in Winterthur demonstrated how sound insulation can be achieved with less mass—for example, using solid wood ceilings and elastically bound gravel fill. New technologies such as robotic manufacturing (demonstrated using the Semiramis project in Zug as an example) or innovative wood-based materials like Scrimber further expand the possibilities and help ensure that even lower-grade wood grades are put to good use.

At its core, it’s all about timber construction itself. Every cubic meter of wood used in construction stores CO₂—and continues to do so throughout a building’s entire lifespan. The potential impact is correspondingly significant when planning, construction, and material use are consistently geared toward this goal. For us, modern timber construction methods involve carefully planned and resource-efficiently executed timber buildings.

We would like to thank the «South Tyrolean Carpenters and Master Timber Builders» for organizing the 2nd South Tyrolean Timber Construction Congress at the Forum Brixen. We are very pleased that we were able to open the conference with our presentation. The event concluded with a lecture by Hansjörg Steiner, Central President of the Swiss Timber Construction Association www.holzbau-schweiz.ch. Thank you for the opportunity to share Swiss timber construction expertise with our neighboring country.