Architect Andrew Waugh spoke to us about the core aims behind MultiPly, to “provoke a debate around how environmental challenges can be addressed through innovative, affordable construction”.

A unique partnership of business, academia and applied research came together to make the tulipwood cross laminated timber panels (CLT) for MultiPly. They all also agreed that the project held lessons for the future of wood-based building and specifically use of hardwood in engineered timber construction.  

The recent emergence of commercial thermal modification (TMT) applied to hardwoods has opened up new growth opportunities for other American hardwood timber species for exterior applications, which were previously the domain of chemically treated softwoods and tropical hardwoods.