Washington Patent of the Month – September 2021
With the trend of current “farmhouse” aesthetics, mass timber is growing in popularity and interest. It not only offers ideal aesthetics, it has great structural performance and opportunity for innovation. Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is at the top of the list of mass timber, offering solid wood panels made of multiple layers of lumber board stacked and glued together. Six Minutes, LLC has recently been working on methods to improve the usability of CLT in construction.
CLT panels have diverse application options, with the potential to be used to construct an entire building. They have vertical and lateral load resistance and also work well for walls, floors, and roofs. Six Minutes has designed a CLT with a conduit to even further advance its applicability. The conduit provides the space needed for cabling, air, plumbing and more. The advantage of this is the panels can be manufactured off site with lower grade timber all the while increasing structural integrity. Their design uses layers of CLT panels stacked crosswise and glued together in such a way that hollow spaces are formed. The crosswise stacking increases structural support and stability, while the spacing provides the hollow area needed for a conduit. Using lower grade lumber to create this CLT also lowers the cost. Six Minutes had effectively designed a CLT lumber product that can be used in any aspect of construction at a reduced cost.
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