Lincoln Castle Goes for Glulam

As featured by PEFC International

PEFC-certified timber stars in the first new building to be built within the grounds of the 11th Century Lincoln Castle for over 100 years.

The new building, a Heritage Skills Education Centre, is next to Lincoln Castle in Eastern England, and comprises PEFC-certified glulam columns, roof beams and bar bracing, installed by Pasquill, the UK’s largest roof truss supplier.

The Heritage Skills Centre trains new recruits to learn traditional crafts such as stone masonry, stained glass and joinery work.

Featuring four workshops open to public view, the Heritage Skills Centre has become a popular visitor attraction.

PEFC-certified timber beams for sustainability and aesthetics

The rectangular, stepped frame of the Heritage Skills Centre is formed from a series of curved beams with inserted steel ‘flitch’ plates. Some of the PEFC-certified European Whitewood glulam is left visible, making a striking contribution to the overall design of the structure.

For Pasquill, one of the project’s major challenges was accessing the site without causing too much disruption to the castle and its neighbours. Choosing timber, meant that noise levels during construction could be minimised, thereby accommodating Lincoln’s nearby Law Courts’ requirements.

“The structural design has been developed to be as sustainable as possible in terms of materials used and to create a framed construction that is adaptable and flexible,” said Dirk van Rensburg of project architects, Arrol Architects.

The use of glulam beams and columns, rather than steel, is highly sustainable. DIRK VAN RENSBURG FROM ARROL ARCHITECTS

“The use of glulam beams and columns, rather than steel, is highly sustainable and the structure internally creates a pleasing visual effect. The glulam frame construction supports the considerable weight of a turf roof, allowing the remainder of the external envelope to be non-load bearing with extremely high degrees of thermal insulation.”

Glulam is a sustainable structural solution, manufactured from selected high-grade timbers using small cross-sectioned boards, finger-jointed and laid with the grain parallel to form large cross sections and lengths. This produces an exceptional strength to weight ratio, making it suitable for long span load bearing structures, combined with the aesthetic appeal of timber.

Responsible Wood is the National Governing Body for PEFC Australia. To find out more about Responsible Wood and forest certification more generally please visit the Responsible Wood website.