Design

Artius’ green alternatives will evoke the eco warrior in you

DEC 24, 2018 | By Aman Mehta
Artius Timber Home was one of the standout exhibits at IndiaDesignID 2018. Glulam is a material known for its strength, beauty and reliability

The lack of a locally-made wood material that matched up to international standards became evident to Bhawna and Vivekabhilash Sharma in 2011, whilst looking to source weather sealed and thermally insulated timber windows for their home. In order to bridge the gap betweeen the love of wood in the Indian luxury sector and the lack of technological advancements, research, and adaptation of the material to market needs, Artius set up its state of the art facility in Gurugram (near New Delhi). Artius Glulam Timber™, their signature product, offers exceptional strength, dimensional stability, and rigidity, therefore countering problems usually associated with wood, such as warping and jamming. It also offers flawless aesthetics while integrating quality hardware, locking systems, gaskets and even insect screens — making it incredibly well-suited to the Indian lifestyle and the country’s unique weather conditions. In an endeavor to reach out to industry professionals, Artius invested in an education programme in Canada for 17 Indian architects, to help them understand how timber can be used as a major building material. With insights from celebrity architects like Michael Green and Don Gurney, the sessions focused on how wood has been sustainably managed in Canada for a number of years, highlighting its various benefits as well. The processing of wood uses significantly less energy than most other building materials, resulting in a lower carbon footprint. If wood is sourced sustainably — old trees are cut, but replaced by younger one’s with a greater ability to absorb carbondioxide from the atmosphere — it can meet construction requirements indefinitely. Apart from being a sustainable material, wood like Glulam Timber™ has high tensile strength and is therefore suitable for construction in seismic zones. Fire resistance is another benefit as the wood is engineered to char only on the surface, and at a slow rate. Naturally insulating, with air pockets within its cellular structure, it is more effective than masonry, steel and aluminium. Requiring less energy to heat and cool, structures also become more energy efficient. Timber framed buildings are also quicker to build as they can be pre-cut and leave less debris to clear thereafter. Glulam Timber™ is truly cost-effective and can even be recycled. Artius’ effort to spread awareness among the architectural community is commendable. In today’s polluted world, sustainable building materials truly are the need of the hour — and what better caters to this than cross-laminated timber?

Artius will be exhibiting at IndiaDesignID 2019! www.indiadesignid.com