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Timber Engineering
Timber Engineering
19.011
Houffalize,
Belgium
The “Hangar à sel de Houffalize” is a 440 m² (18,5 m x 24 m) warehouse dedicated to the storage of salt that will be spread on the roads during winter frosts. The load bearing structure consists of four timber frames and of 3 inclined CLT walls that are in contact with the salt. The CLT panels play a major role in the wind stabilization of the frames and of the entire structure. The CLT walls are supported by 31 CLT triangles that bring the vertical loads to the foundations. These triangles are covered with a finition to protect them form the weather. The rest of the structure is protected with a transparent polycarbonate cladding. We chose to make the structure in timber because it was economically competitive and because, unlike steel or concrete, wood does not suffer from contact with road salt.
The columns are in douglas because they are exposed to the rain. The rest of the structure is protected by the cladding and is therefore in spruce timber. The main beams have a span of 24 m and have an variable inertia to minimize the amount of timber used. They are fixed to the columns with LVL plates. All the joints have been designed in collaboration with the wood entreprise TS Construct to guarantee the durability.
