Nail it! The Second NLT Demonstration Project Kicks Off In Korea

By: Tai Jeong

Country Director, Canada Wood Korea

February 2, 2023 Korea Keywords: NLT

South Korea envisions timber as the key construction material to reach its carbon neutrality target. The trend of building with wood using mass timber technology in larger and taller public buildings has been reinforced by the repeated statements from various levels of government in recent years.

Canada is well-positioned to take advantage of this market opportunity, particularly in the public building sector by promoting the use of Nail-laminated Timber (NLT), a cost-effective substitute to expensive CLT products. For cost-sensitive public building projects funded by the government, the simplicity and aesthetic property of NLT have a unique catch.

To generate meaningful impact, we have pivoted our demonstration efforts in this direction to showcase the use of NLT in public buildings such as community centre and enable the Korean industry to get through the learning curve when it comes to design, manufacturing and installation.

Our inaugural project, a community building in Jinju city focused on introducing various NLT roof configurations in a gable roof design. The project successfully fulfilled expectations, prompting the Jinju government to plan the construction of a second one. The success of the first one has earned it the highest accolade at the 2021 Korean Wood Design Award.

The second NLT Demonstration is underway now. Drawing upon the knowledge gleaned from the first project, this building has incorporated various design components that improve manufacturing and construction cost. For example, its shed roof layout facilitates simpler and consistent NLT roof setup, resulting in cheaper production and no need for the steel columns seen in the first project.

 The project is located in Seungsan Village, a historic settlement featuring classic Korean wooden dwellings, and is famous for being the hometown of several corporate founders of large conglomerates like GS and LG Group. As a popular tourism destination, the demo project will to home to many travellers.

The two demo projects have substantially contributed to the Jinju city becoming the preeminent leader in Korea for the incorporation of wood in public constructions.

The Jinju municipality is encouraging the utilization of wood and is the host city of the inaugural Architecture Festival in 2022, which explicitly recognized wood structures for their ability to maintain carbon neutrality.