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November 07, 2024
Metsä Wood has developed a new wood wall panel solution that combines exceptional load-bearing capacity with material efficiency. This innovative wall structure offers significant benefits, especially as a load bearing and stiffening exterior and partition wall solution for high-rise residential and office buildings.
The new wall element is a structural glued wall element made of Kerto® LVL beams and panels. It complements the Kerto-Ripa® element concept, which has already proven its efficiency in roof and floor structures.
The rational use of raw materials and material efficiency have become increasingly important objectives in construction. For investors and property developers, the new wall element brings added value, as thinner wall constructions provide more sellable floor space for residential or office buildings. According to construction calculations, the Kerto-Ripa wall construction allows, for example, savings of up to 50% in wood materials in the walls of a high-rise building compared to massive wood constructions. The wall structure is also ideal for hybrid construction due to its high load-bearing capacity and allows for continuous wall elements up to 20 metres high.
"Despite the smaller amount of material, the load-bearing capacity of the Kerto-Ripa wall element is excellent. This enables tall and heavily loaded buildings to be constructed in a material-efficient manner," emphasises Janne Heikkilä, Team Manager, Technical Customer Service at Metsä Wood.
Metsä Wood's long-term partner VVR Wood Oy has been manufacturing Kerto-Ripa roof and floor elements for several years. They see the new wall element as an excellent addition to their product range. "Kerto-Ripa elements are pre-fitted large elements with well thought-out solutions. Construction becomes more efficient by moving the construction work from the site to the element factory, and the time on site is shorter. Our first experiences with the new wall element are very positive and we believe that it can open up further business opportunities for us," says Tero Vesanen, Managing Director of VVR Wood Oy.
Metsä Wood does not manufacture the elements itself, but offers a complete concept to element manufacturers. "Companies already manufacturing Kerto-Ripa elements can supplement their product range with wall elements. We believe that Kerto-Ripa wall elements have potential in hybrid construction with concrete due to their excellent load-bearing capacity," says Jyrki Uimonen, Sales Development Director at Metsä Wood.
Material efficiency reduces construction costs and uses less natural resources. "Although wood is a renewable material, it is always important to pay attention to the amount of material we use," Heikkilä emphasises.
The Kerto-Ripa wall element offers property developers, construction companies and designers a cost-effective solution that supports the requirements of modern construction. This innovation helps to meet the future challenges of construction, both in terms of material and space efficiency.
