Cross laminated timber in New Zealand: Research and application perspective

Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) has been one of the latest and most significant types of engineered wood products developed for structural applications. In the last two decades there has been some remarkable progress in the technology to use CLT in building structures. Although it arrived in the region later than in Europe and North America, CLT has quickly gained popularity within the engineering community in New Zealand. There are significant challenges in applications such as seismic demands. Some research has already been done locally to provide guidelines for applications. A number of projects involving CLT applications have been completed. There is also potential that the applications will extend into emerging markets in Asia. Recent research initiatives have been taken to facilitate applications are elaborated here.