Glued laminated timber and cross laminated timber (CLT) have the potential to transform the construction industry.
Timber, a material that for decades was associated with limitations, has become a structural system on par with steel and concrete.
The arguments in its favour are as follows: a 50% reduction in CO₂ emissions; speed of assembly; and, with proper management, a regenerative forest cycle.
But there’s a problem.
Engineered timber naturally resists fire: it chars and stops burning. Physics, not marketing. Yet often fire regulations refuse to recognise this property.
The result? Structural timber must frequently be hidden. Glulam beams and CLT panels, which could serve both as load-bearing elements and finish, vanish behind cladding and linings. We lose the biophilic warmth that resonates with the people using the space, as well as the honesty of the construction itself.
The irony is harsh: rules force us to conceal what could revolutionise the industry. It’s not a lack of technology but a lack of courage for legislation to keep pace with science. The future of building may not lie in new materials, but in allowing the old ones to shine in new applications.
When will regulations understand this?
