A modular wooden building has been constructed in the crescent outside the Building Centre.
'MultiPly' is part of New London Architecture's exhibition, Factory-made Housing: a solution for London? Constructed by Waugh Thistleton Architects and Arup for the London Design Festival, Multiply is designed to encourage visitors to confront climate change and the growing need for housing.
Designed via modular principles and constructed with sustainable timber, MultiPly asks us to rethink the materials and architecture of urban housing. Modular design refers to developing architectural pieces off-site, where buildings are constructed in modules, and then later assembled. The controlled process generates less waste by using less packaging and materials and the process takes half the time, in comparison to traditional construction methods.
MultiPly is made with cross-laminated timber, from sustainable US tulipwood. Constructed via a flexible system, MultiPly is comprised of six modules of timber with digitally fabricated joints. The timber boards are stacked perpendicular to each other and glued together under high pressure. "MultiPly explores a new, more sustainable way of building, bringing together a readily available carbon-negative material – American tulipwood – with modular design," David Venables, AHEC’s European Director tells the London Design Festival. In the wake of the recent global warming report, addressing climate change is more urgent than ever, and Waugh Thistleton Architects’ design illustrates how the use of modular constructions and sustainable materials are a potential solution.
MultiPly is on display in the crescent just outside of the Building Centre until Sunday 21 October. To view more about it, click here.
All image credits: Agnese Sanvito and NLA.
