Sumitomo
Fire
Laboratory

What better way to dispel fears regarding the performance of mass timber buildings in fire than to design your own fire laboratory in timber? This is exactly what Sumitomo Forestry Co. Ltd have done with their new Fire Laboratory at Tsukuba Science City, Japan.

The building uses PTL’s Pres-Lam system combining the use of post-tensioned steel cables with large timber members to provide resistance and robustness to the structure. The strength of Pres-Lam walls and the lightness of timber creates the large open space required for the testing hall with eight walls providing lateral and vertical support for the timber roof. With manufacture in New Zealand for overseas construction, tolerances were required to be to the millimetre, precision that CNC machined LVL can provide.