The laminated veneer lumber (LVL) produced by Metsä Wood Kerto can undoubtedly be regarded as a key component of the first large-scale modular construction project in the Netherlands, since LVL alone is used in the building's load-bearing structure. The five-storey residential complex in Almere provides 103 flats using an industrial modular building system developed by the De Alliantie corporation and the construction firm Koopmans Bouwgroep. The project shows how modular LVL construction can speed up the handover of buildings and reduce environmental impact, while also addressing challenges facing the construction sector, such as long lead times, labour availability and cutting carbon emissions.
Industrial efficiency and scalability
Xylino is made up of 436 factory-built timber modules produced by geWOONhout, with each module delivered to the site complete with integrated technical systems. Assembly teams install 8-12 modules a day, completing three or four flats at a time. A residential block is finished in roughly four weeks. The system's scalability is underpinned by integrated digital design, in which every component has a digital twin identified by a QR code, ensuring consistency in production and allowing flexible use of layouts and housing typologies.
Resource efficiency and structural performance
Kerto LVL was chosen for its outstanding strength-to-weight ratio and dimensional accuracy. The material is up to 50% more resource-efficient than comparable solid timber products while delivering equivalent performance, reducing transport emissions and the need for on-site material processing.
The project uses a range of Kerto LVL products optimised for specific applications: 5.2-metre Kerto LVL S-beams for floors and roofs, 2.9-metre S-beams for studs and rim beams, and 5.05-metre Kerto LVL Q-panels for floors. The load-bearing walls use 100-millimetre-thick re-glued Q-panels 3.3 metres long. CNC machining holds tolerances to within 0.5 millimetres, guaranteeing precise installation and reducing waste.
The inclusion of Kerto LVL in Category 1 of the Dutch National Environmental Database provides verified life-cycle assessment data, which simplifies compliance with Dutch sustainable construction regulations and supports transparent environmental reporting.
Performance, comfort and the circular life cycle
Xylino meets strict standards for acoustic comfort, fire safety and durability, achieving R120 protection and 120 minutes of structural fire resistance. Acoustic separation between the modules and additional mass in the floors deliver the required performance for living spaces.
Environmental considerations extend across the building's entire life cycle. Lighter foundations reduce transport impacts, and the modules are designed to be dismantled so that materials can be recovered. The buildings are fitted with solar panels, high-performance insulation and rainwater collection systems, and low-carbon concrete is used only where it is needed.
A widely applicable system
Xylino proves that modular LVL construction can deliver affordable, high-quality housing. Metsä Wood continues to expand its supply of Kerto LVL materials and technical support in the Netherlands and Belgium, meeting the growing demand for industrialised timber structures. As Bass Broke, project manager at Koopmans Bouwgroep, put it: "The system is ready to be used." Āfke Van der Verfa, director of geWOONhout, highlights the project's design ambition: "To my mind, we can see very clearly that architectural freedom and modular construction can go hand in hand. From the outside you cannot tell that Xylino was built using industrial methods, and that is its added value."
**LVL (laminated veneer lumber) is a high-strength engineered wood product widely used in the construction of both private houses and commercial buildings. It consists of several thin layers of wood veneer (usually around 3 mm thick) bonded together with waterproof adhesive under high pressure and heat. Unlike ordinary plywood, the grain of the LVL veneer layers all runs in the same direction (parallel to the length of the beam), which gives maximum strength along the length. The main advantages. Strength - it is stronger and stiffer than ordinary timber; relative to its weight it can be as much as twice as strong as steel. Stability - thanks to the manufacturing process, LVL is dimensionally stable, so it barely twists, bows or shrinks. Length and dimensions - unlike natural timber, the length of LVL is not limited by the height of a tree trunk. Industrially, blanks up to 24 metres long can be produced.