Infopavilions Holzwelt Murau

The design of nine timber info stands in the Austrian alpine region of Murau presents a novel way of using twisted slender timber lamellas to create structural stability. The design was developed together with the students at the Institute of Architecture and Media at the TU Graz. The information stand consists of twisted lamellas spanning between two cross laminated timber panels. To function in the various areas in the region, three typologies were established for the final structures—all composed by concrete pedestals for the base plate to sit on, a series of wall like twisted lamella elements, several vertical panels for displaying the information and an overhanging roof panel.

The innovative construction principle that underlies all design variants consists in applying twisted wooden lamellas as structural elements for the vertical load takedown. The twisted configuration leads to a reduction of the members buckling length of up to 30%. Additional vertical LVL panels, which were primarily used to carry information boards, help to contribute to the overall vertical and horizontal loading capacity of the structure. Custom parametric scripts were essential to translate the design geometry into FE analysis models as well as data for the CNC mill for the fabrication process.