Kickoff Meeting: NLT Application on Jinju NLT Community Centre Demo Project

By: Tai Jeong

Country Director, Canada Wood Korea

During the 2020 Busan Korea Build show at NEEDHAUS factory, a designated NLT (nail-laminated timber) manufacturing and construction company, Canada Wood Korea (CWK) held a kickoff meeting for the Jinju NLT Community Centre Demo Project. During the meeting, Canada Wood Korea Country Director Tai Jeong gave a presentation on the technical aspects of NLT to a city architect, a Jinju city official and a construction company. The presentation included Canadian case studies and production details.

Tai Jeong, Country Director of CWK takes presentation at Kickoff meeting

The Jinju Community Centre was selected as one of CWK’s Korean demo projects to showcase the NLT roof and wall application. The centre is a one-storey building of 208.88 m2 and will be used as a multi-purpose space for the local residents. Except for the NLT and other wood components, Jiju’s city government will be 100% responsible for the project’s funding.

This building was originally designed with concrete, and modified with a light wood frame. The community centre’s owner, Jinju City, is now willing to apply the NLT system to this project making this the city’s first public building incorporating such technology. Mr. Choi of KAWA Architects, who two years ago was appointed as Jinju’s City Architect, has played an important role in delivering key information on the use of wood in public buildings. Mr. Choi has visited Canada several times through CWK’s mission program, in order to experience Canada’s advanced wood-building technology. He expects this NLT demo project opportunity to instill confidence not only in Jinju City but also to influence other local governments toward the use of wood in public buildings. If the demo project proves the advantage of building with wood in public buildings, there will be a good opportunity to replicate NLT or wood structure in other community-building projects — Jinju City plans to build ten community centres next year.