Raising the roof with wooden architecture
A new whisky distillery in Scotland showcasing contemporary architecture combines a rippling wooden roof with glass and steel.
The Macallan Distillery – set to be a tourist attraction for whisky enthusiasts in Banffshire, Scotland – hosts an undulating wooden roof structure incorporating Kerto laminated veneer lumber (LVL) of around 3,600 beams and 2,500 roof panels.
‘We wanted to celebrate the honesty of the materials rather than hide the roof structure with a ceiling,’ says Toby Jeavons, Project Architect at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. ‘Wood is a nice counterpoint to the engineered, faceted roof structure, which consists of flat cassette panels and straight beams.’
The roof, which is supported by a steel structure, encompasses a wooden waffle structure, which is triangular with 3x3m diagonals. The centre line of the wood beams meets the centre lines of the supporting steel tubes – as they are smaller, they run through the glulam beams.
Jeavons explains that both Kerto LVL Q-panels and S-beams are used. ‘Kerto LVL S-beams and Q-panels are an integral part of the structure of each beam because they contribute to the overall dimensions,’ he notes. ‘Every beam has the same dimension. We also achieve a contemporary aesthetic by using Kerto LVL, which has an omnidirectional surface.’
The glulam beams have Kerto LVL cheeks integrated on both sides to balance the load path to the steel frame. The hybrid beams strengthened with steel are interlinked with the regular beams. The heavy green roof loadings are carried by the timber grid and roof panels, and all wind and snow loads are carried down to the concrete foundation.
For improved stiffness and stability, additional steel plates, hangers, connectors and screws are used in the timber-to-timber connections. Jeavons notes that the hangers give strength to connections with high-tension forces, and the shear forces are tackled with steel connectors, adding that ‘the connections are beautifully hidden behind the beams’.
