Gerhard Schickhofer Awarded the 2019 Marcus Wallenberg Prize
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Cross-laminated timber, CLT, explains the expansion of multi-storey wood buildings in the world. Gerhard Schickhofer is awarded the 2019 Marcus Wallenberg Prize for research and knowledge transfer behind the stable and eco-friendly material. The 2019 Marcus Wallenberg Prize will be presented by HM the King of Sweden at a ceremony in Stockholm in October this year.
Professor Gerhard Schickhofer, the Institute of Timber Engineering and Wood Technology at Graz University of Technology, Austria, has laid the scientific and technological foundation for the development of cross-laminated timber.
Cross-laminated timber, or CLT, consists of several layers of solid wood laminations glued together crosswise measuring a length of up to 20 metres, a width of four meters and a thickness desired for every purpose. The elements are stable and load bearing. They are also easy to process, shape and even curve using modern manufacturing technologies. All these qualities have made wooden skyscrapers possible.
CLT has radically transformed the view on construction and design in the wood building industry. Its orthogonal, laminar structure allows applications as full-size walls and floor elements as well as linear timber elements able to bear heavy loads. Prefabrication of different modules at the factory makes the assembly time on the building site shorter.
Schickhofer and his research team have played a leading role in establishing European standards and Technical Approvals for CLT production and use in industrial applications of wood construction. The Prize Selection Committee of the Marcus Wallenberg Foundation states in its motivation that Schickhofer has made scientific and engineering contributions required in standardizing the development of CLT and enabling its adoption as a building material. Schickhofer has also succeeded in transferring scientific knowledge to practical applications. His user-friendly software tools and handbooks have had a great influence in the field.
