CENTER PARCS

Structural Timber Awards 2018 Best use of Solid Wood Award and Retail & Leisure Project of the Year

Customer: Center Parcs

Architect: Jackson Design Associates - Luke Hunter

Engineer: BSP Consulting - Monika Anszperger 

Timber design: Metsä Wood UK - Ewa Ostrowska, Oana Popovici

Main contractor: Cocksedge Building Contractors Limited - Tom Courtney

Timber contractor: Constructional Timber - Andrew King, Andy Newton

Three waterside lodges located on the bank of a beautiful lake, nestled in the heart of Elveden Forest, these new lodges will complement the landscape and connect families with the surrounding nature. The architect created an elegant shape, reminiscent of an upside-down boat. The lodges have two levels; the forest-facing side is situated higher, hence access is from the back via a wooden bridge to the first floor The lower level combines dining and living areas, a kitchen and a WC. The upper floor –accessible from the bridge – has the entrance and three bedrooms. From the side, the cabin looks like a boat, including an elegant When the architect contacted Metsä Wood for a solution, I proposed portal frames to make the structure easy to assemble and stable from wind action or ground settlement. Kerto-Q was chosen as a material as it is very stable for moisture differences, it has a high strength-to-weight ratio, and it allows for smaller spacing in mechanical connections. The floor beams and columns were designed from Kerto-Q 90 x 360, and the arches were created with re-glued Kerto-Q. The Kerto arches were cut from sheaths and re-glued by UK manufacturer Constructional Timber This solution was at least 20% cheaper than other timber materials. It is a simple structure which allowed for clear definition of all forces and elements. The structural analysis of all timber elements was carried out using BS EN 1995-1 and National annex. The whole structure was modelled using Revit Structures 2017 – this way, the architect could easily see the elements and how they would be incorporated to create the finished cabin. The frames were designed structurally with robot structural analysis, the Kerto® deck and balcony were designed using Finnwood software (available free of charge software on the Metsä Wood website), and the connections and stability were designed manually with the help of mathematical software ‘MathCAD 15’.BSP designed the foundations and the steel platform supporting the frames which cantilevered over the lake. The Kerto® frames are connected to steel frames through metal shoes which transfer shear and horizontal forces to the platform. Each frame consists of the arch, two columns and the floor beam.