Waugh Thistleton Architects’ ten-story Dalston Works project stands proudly as the world’s largest Cross Laminated Timber building in Hackney, London, having been completed in 2017. The 121-unit development made entirely of CLT from external to core walls, the scheme weighs one-fifth of an equivalent concrete building.
In addition to tackling London’s need for dense, high-quality housing, the scheme offers a methodology for implementing timber technology with a significantly reduced carbon footprint, such as an 80% reduction in the number of deliveries during construction.
Situated on a neglected brownfield site, the 155,000-square-meter scheme’s light weight allows for a taller building than would have been feasible through other construction methods. Integrating with its surroundings, the scheme’s varying roof heights and intricate brickwork make reference to neighboring Victorian and Edwardian housing.
The scheme’s efficiency and weight allowed for client Regal Homes to increase the number of units by 25%, while delivering the project in just 18 months due to the scheme’s reliance on prefabricated CLT panel.
Dalston Works represents only one example of Waugh Thistleton’s investigation into timber structures, with their MultiPly installation recently exhibited at the 2018 London Design Festival.
The firm’s Bushey Cemetery, meanwhile, was shortlisted for the 2018 Stirling Prize, formed of natural earth walls, oak and rusted steel. The prize was won by Foster + Partners’ Bloomberg HQ.
News via: Waugh Thistleton Architects
