Biological Durability of Cross-Laminated Timber--The State of Things

Cross laminated timber (CLT) is a mass timber product that is gaining popularity in construction within North America. CLT is made up of wood, a building material of biological origin. Therefore, these materials are at a risk of decay upon intrusion of moisture, a situation that could lead to loss of confidence in the material. Ensuring durability and optimum performance of building elements throughout their expected service life will require an understanding of the potential for decay and the possible consequences. This paper reviews the various possibilities of moisture intrusion in CLT, their potential effects on the physical and mechanical properties of CLT, and ultimately the associated biological decay risks. The paper concludes by enumerating variables that are critical and should be evaluated to completely understand decay in CLT panels, stemming from a thorough review of previous studies and methods used to evaluate decay in mass timber.
Timber construction is one of humankind's earliest methods of building. Woods (2016) suggested that many homes built over 10,000 years ago were constructed with timber as the primary construction material. [...]