Highlighting the excellent physical and aesthetic properties of timber, Latvia's leading timber construction experts have singled out the Mežvidi forest nursery, brought into service by AS "Latvijas valsts meži" (LVM) at the end of 2023, as a particularly good example of building in wood. Timber was used extensively in the construction of its seedling sorting and processing complex, including glue-laminated timber structures of exceptionally long span. The building has also been well received in several competitions, taking 1st place in various categories this year.
In the August 2024 issue of the magazine "Būvinženieris", Antra Viļuma – doctor of architecture, research assistant, lecturer and expert at the Institute of Architecture and Design of Riga Technical University – describes the Mežvidi forest nursery as one of the good examples of timber construction, placing particular emphasis on the long-span timber structures used in building the seedling sorting and processing complex.
Novelty and practicality – long-span structures
Construction of the Mežvidi forest nursery began in July 2022, and the seedling sorting and processing complex it comprises is an outstanding example of the use of wood in construction. Some 600 m³ of timber was used in building the almost 8,300 square metre seedling sorting and processing complex – in both the load-bearing structures and the finishes.
The long-span structures used in building the complex are a good example of the wide scope for using timber in industrial and warehouse projects as well. The longest timber beam used spans 30 metres and is more than 2 metres deep. A single beam of this kind weighed 10,877 kg. The long span of the structures makes it easier to handle the seedlings, because building large spaces with no columns in the middle allows more efficient planning of the layout of production equipment and of the routes used to transport seedlings and other raw materials. It also makes it possible to change the planned layout promptly as the volume of seedlings or the amount of production equipment changes.
"The Mežvidi forest nursery is one of the examples that vividly demonstrates Latvia's considerable potential in timber construction – we have both the resource and the knowledge to build sustainable, environmentally friendly and modern buildings that not only perform their core function excellently, but also help us move closer to achieving our climate neutrality goals, because as it grows, wood absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores carbon within itself. Buildings made of wood safely lock away climate-damaging CO₂ for decades," says Pēters Putniņš, Chairman of the Board of LVM.
This year the nursery's seedling sorting and processing complex has already won two awards: 1st place in the "Timber structure" category at Latvia's largest construction competition, "Latvian Construction Annual Award 2023", and 1st place in the "Public new build. Production building" category in the "Best Building in Latvia 2023" competition.
Ever larger continuous structures around the world
Elsewhere in the world, too, long-span timber structures are increasingly being used in the construction of buildings of all kinds. One recent example is the Paris Olympic Aquatics Centre, whose 5,000 square metre roof is built from glue-laminated timber structures. With a single beam reaching 90 metres in length, 55 cm in depth and 20 cm in thickness, the impressive roof of the Paris Olympic Aquatics Centre sets a world record for the use of long-span timber structures.
The new LVM customer centre – built of wood
The seedling processing and sorting complex at the Mežvidi forest nursery is for now the most recent of the buildings constructed for LVM's needs that make extensive use of timber. This autumn the LVM customer centre in the Rietumvidzeme region will be brought into service – another example of building in wood. More than 400 m³ of finished timber material was used in the construction of the customer centre, produced from roughly 1,200 m³ of wood. In Latvia, that volume of timber grows in about 25 minutes, and as it grows it absorbs around 1,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide. To make the building as energy efficient as possible, solar panels for generating electricity are to be installed on its roof, with electric vehicle charging stations in the yard. The building will be heated using renewable resources – wood pellets. In the summer months, heat pumps will provide cooling, while automatic blinds will shield the glazed façades so that the building does not overheat in the summer sun.
https://www.lvm.lv/jaunumi/7605-lvm-mezvidu-kokaudzetava-ekspertu-atzits-koka-buvniecibas-piemers