COMET K-project focus_sts

Project duration 01/2012 - 12/2016

In the past focus was on industrial products, at present it’s on knowledge. Not long ago the advantage of a strong R&D had to be outlined. This has changed significantly. Many secondary timber companies have developed towards their customers. Not solutions for production but solutions for timber engineering are in focus now.

At present almost all large-sized Austrian timber industries are successfully operating with own building construction departments. During the last 10 to 15 years and with the innovative laminar product cross laminated timber (CLT) and the corresponding solid timber construction technique, the timber engineering sector has changed significantly and became a serious competitor to the reinforced concrete and masonry sectors. Only due to R&D collaboration with the timber engineering sector in the past K-Ind-Projects and the K-Project holz.bau innovative outcomes have been made. This will be continued with an outstanding consortium in the actual COMET K-Project focus_sts. All Austrian CLT producers (60% of worldwide production) are part of it. The aim is to examine open research topics related to CLT in order to make it more reliable and globally attractive. Furthermore it’s high time to develop a building construction system in CLT.

Two of three areas are dedicated to this topic. Area 1 focuses on development of the building construction system in CLT and AREA 2 on production and design. The consortium was enlarged by partners of the adhesive and metal joining technique sector. No timber engineering without joining technique! Area 3 focuses on fundamental research in the field of joining techniques and in conjunction with CLT.

The current research program of the COMET K-project focus_sts (focus_solid_timber_solutions) is divided into three areas and consists of seven projects.