Case Study

Name of Case Study: Scotland’s Largest Cross Laminated Timber Building

Country: Scotland

Partner: Built Environment – Smarter Transformation

Company: CCG (Scotland) Ltd

Link to Website: https://c-c-g.co.uk/

Overview / Project Summary:

Situated in Yoker, Scotland, this development marked a national milestone as Scotland’s
first and tallest multi-story cross laminated timber (CLT) building.

The project, which CCG led and BE-ST supported, used the renewable resource to build
a modern, sustainable residential building on Ellerslie Road. The structure rises to 7
storeys, incorporating 42 flats with views over the River Clyde

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Description

Scottish construction firm CCG built Scotland’s tallest timber building using Cross
Laminated Timber (CLT) manufactured by Stora Enso for the superstructure. Built on the
banks of Glasgow’s River Clyde for Sanctuary Housing Association.

The building was designed by MAST Architects and installed by solid timber specialist
EURBAN, comprising 42 one, two and three bedroom flats including three adaptable
units for wheelchair users. The apartments, which enjoy views over the River Clyde, are
designed around a standard template used by CCG across all residential developments
and are for the rental market.

The layout of the building is based around one central stairway with three ‘flatted’
sections set out in a ‘T’ shaped format. The full superstructure is built from CLT including
the common areas. Approval for this has set a precedent in Scotland and is the result of
evidence supplied to Building Standards Scotland, Building Control and Scottish Fire
and Rescue Services by CCG and timber engineers, Smith and Wallwork.

The Innovation

The Yoker building is the culmination for CCG of a long R&D process looking at CLT for
the Scottish market.

The building is seven storeys using CLT, which is two storeys above what CCG had
done previously with timber frame.

Engineers Smith and Wallwork were responsible for the design of the CLT superstructure
at Yoker. This is the first major CLT building in Scotland and Scottish Building
Regulations are vigorous, requiring a supervising engineer to sign off all calculations
prior to construction.

One of the key structural issues when building with CLT is the interface between the
concrete foundations and the timber superstructure and Yoker has some interesting
connection details against issues such as wind uplift. These are necessary due to the
relative light weight of the building and its location on the River Clyde where it is subject
to tension forces on the connections due to wind loading.

Key Outputs

Yoker spearheaded CCG’s drive to increase the use of CLT in Scotland and has
advanced regulatory understanding of the material with Scotland’s Building Control and
fire and gas industries.

Yoker was the subject of a major research programme, undertaken by the Universities of
Strathclyde, Glasgow and Edinburgh Napier, exploring airtightness, acoustics, thermal
performance, construction and productivity and whole life costing and life cycle analysis.

CLT benefits from being durable, carbon-catching and renewable. The development
used 1240m3 of CLT, equating to 757 tonnes of CO2 removed from the earth’s
atmosphere. By using naturally renewable resources converted in a factory using digital
approaches, the construction industry can produce energy and material-efficient
buildings through enhanced levels of productivity, minimal waste and carbon
sequestration. This directly responds to the declared climate emergency and
correspondingly supports Scotland’s net zero carbon ambitions while still delivering high
quality developments on a large economic scale.

Furthermore, the construction phase benefitted from the use of CLT in terms of reduced
erection/construction time, reduced material wastage – only 200kg per plot – as well as
improved airtightness, acoustics and thermal performance, exceeding the minimum
requirements

The entire seven-storey superstructure was erected wind and watertight in a net period
of just 16 weeks.

Managed responsibly, the natural capital of Scotland can underpin its prosperity and
create a built environment that positively influences the health and wellbeing of its
occupants.