Neutelings Riedijk Architects, a Netherlands-based architectural firm, aims to not only realise architectural projects that are truly sustainable but also express sustainability in their designs.
Having successfully completed the 484,375 sq ft Gare Maritime in Brussels, a mixed development constructed using cross-laminated timber (CLT), the firm will continue to experiment and further explore the possibilities of constructing with wood, says director Michiel Riedijk.
Gare Maritime is one of the largest CLT projects in Europe. By using engineered timber, the amount of cement used was reduced enormously, he says.
“The choice for wood had a favourable effect on the construction process. Thanks to the prefabrication and the dry constructing method, the construction time was considerably shorter than when using traditional construction methods. Circularity was also a main design starting point and this has resulted in the design of demountable connections and modular wooden building