LVL. Szyber says that early considerations were to use concrete for the pillars, but the team opted to test a new design which didn’t exist at the time. The team designed large re-glued LVL pillars reinforced by steel components. The innovative use of mass timber products to construct the Wisdome represents a step towards sustainability in both material and efficiency. Sustainability sourced mass timber materials–like those sourced from Sweden and Finland for this project–represent a renewable option over materials like concrete or steel. Additionally, Szyber points out that the efficiency with which mass timber projects are constructed represents another crucial step in moving towards a more sustainable industry. Even relatively complex projects, such as the Wisdome, can be constructed efficiently due to fabrication and on-site assembly. This efficient, quick assembly process reduces waste and energy consumption by, among other things, reducing a project’s overall timeline. For the Wisdome project, the total construction time was one year and 10 months. Of this time, the installation of the dome’s superstructure, which contained more than 300 separate pieces, took only four weeks. Furthermore, the time to construct the surrounding pillars and the grid shell roof was around 13 weeks. Szyber points out that mass timber projects, if planned well, often have shorter project times and this improves the return on investment (ROI). Furthermore, for the Wisdome, the delivery of mass timber materials as flat panels resulted in having to use fewer trucks to transport materials to the site while also producing almost no material waste. By handling materials in the factory beforehand, less energy was required to dry them on-site and all this adds on the sustainable aspect in the project. Wisdome Stockholm officially opened to the public in December of 2023. Inside the unique architectural structure and deeper within the dome, museum visitors are completely surrounded by 3D projections– sourced from six laser projectors in 8K resolution. This stunning blend of immersive technology and daring architectural design allows visitors to explore open worlds.
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Spring 2024 csengineermag.com
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