The benefits of laminated beams make them extremely suitable for use in buildings where appearance, acoustics, fire resistance, large spans and long life are of importance.
Commercial Applications - hotels, offices, holiday centres, convention centres
Churches - halls, concert halls, chapel & church conversions.
Industrial - hangars, warehouses, assembly plants.
Domestic - roofs, floor beams.
Bridges - both road and footbridges.
Leisure - sports halls, swimming pools, spectator stands
Properties of laminated beams that are superior over other types. Include:
Fire resistance - the outer few millimetres of material char however the beam continues to function long after other materials such as steel would have collapsed.
Corrosion resistance - Resistance to acid & damp makes laminated beams ideal for high corrosion environments such as swimming pools, and leisure centres
Strength to weight ratio - the ratio is very high allowing for a reduction in the size compared to steel and concrete
Design flexibility - laminated beams can be curved allowing for minimal loss of strength
Economical - ideal & cost effective when used for very large spans.
Resilience - wood can absorb impact loads.
Renewable resource - wood is the most environmentally product used in the construction industry
Thermal expansion - laminated beams have a smaller thermal expansion than either steel or concrete.
Ease of installation - light in weight and easily handled by standard carpentry tools.
Laminated beams are one of the most environmentally friendly building materials, made from boards which are planed, routed and finger jointed along their short sides, these are then glued together to produce long laminations which form the beam.
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