Shillingstone Primary School has recently been relocated to a new cost effective eco-friendly timber building. The timber frame building was selected for the school to help achieve excellent U-values and reduce running costs. Part of the relocation included a new sports hall and, for this, Metsä Wood’s (formerly Finnforest) curved Glulam beams were specified in the roof, falling in line with the school’s eco-credentials, in addition to providing a highly aesthetic visual interior finish.

Kevin Riley, Vice President Construction Industry for Metsä Wood, said: “This project is a great example of the full capabilities of Glulam beams. The project has shown how the curved beams meet the needs of an unusual shape, in terms of fulfilling both the strength requirements of a load bearing structure and the aesthetic requirements of the design.”

The Glulam beams were specified by Andrew Waring Associates and were supplied by Crendon Timber Engineering. In total 50 Glulam beams up to 14m in length have been installed in the roof of the school. Nigel Challis, Director of Andrew Waring Associates commented, “The design of the school’s roof was an unusual and challenging shape and for this Shillingstone required a product that could achieve this shape while maintaining its structural strength. In addition, the product forms part of the visible building fabric, so it had to be visually appealing. Eco credentials were also a key factor and all this had to be achieved in a cost effective way.”

In terms of environmental factors, Glulam offers a wide range of benefits. Timber, if sustainably managed, is a truly 100% renewable raw material plus the manufacturing of wood products is less energy-consuming than for other building materials. What’s more, the timber used to produce Metsa Wood’s Glulam has certified chain-of-custody according to the PEFC forest certification system.

Mark Berridge of Crendon commented, “The beams look outstanding. We selected Metsä Wood to provide the Glulam due to its product meeting the school’s exacting requirements and demanding budget. Furthermore, the company was able to meet the timescale requirements and always provides exceptional service.”