![\"\"](\"https:\/\/elementfive.co\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Refuge_St-Calixte_photo19BR_WEB.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nCLT FOR THE ARCHITECT<\/h2>\n\n\n\nE5:<\/strong> How did you originally learn about CLT?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nDL:<\/strong> About 10 years ago, a friend told me about CLT, a new material that could revolutionize the way we think about wood buildings. I was intrigued by CLT\u2019s environmental benefits and natural warmth. Plus, I knew that CLT would allow me to create buildings with complex geometry.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA few months later, I was intrigued by something else\u2014a piece of land located in a beautiful wooded area less than an hour from Montreal. Nobody wanted to build on it because of its steep slope but it was a deal I could not pass up. So my partner and I purchased the land and embarked on an exciting adventure\u2014to design and build our own dream house out of CLT. We called it Refuge \u00e0 Saint-Calixte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
E5: As an architect, what appeals to you about CLT?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nDL:<\/strong> As an architectural student at university, I remember constructing building models using thin sheets of Balsa wood; the wood allowed us to incorporate unique geometry into our designs. Using CLT reminds me of that same experience; it gives me freedom to do things that I cannot do that easily with other materials. I can create cantilevers using CLT; I can use walls as beams: I can vary angles. I can use CLT to make a building much more interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE5: Why did CLT make sense for this home?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nDL: <\/strong>It was a challenging building site. Plus, I wanted to explore and push the limits of the material by introducing multiple cantilevers and angles in all three\u2014x, y and z\u2014coordinates. After working closely with the structural engineer, I modeled all pieces precisely and sent the design information to the manufacturer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/elementfive.co\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Refuge_St-Calixte_photo17BR_WEB.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nCLT FOR THE BUILDER<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
TS: What did you learn about CLT during the building process?<\/strong>
DL: <\/strong>The speed at which we can erect these structures is quite amazing. CLT provides incredible time savings compared with a traditional structure, particularly for a project with such complex geometry as this.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTS: How did the construction work?<\/strong>
DL:<\/strong> Once I submitted the drawings to the manufacturer, they quickly produced the shop drawings and began panel production. This design required 78 individual CLT panels; they were cut to within 1\/8-inch accuracy and shipped across the Atlantic. The panels arrived a few weeks later, neatly packed into one shipping container and individually numbered, like pieces of a giant 3D puzzle.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCrews took just 3-\u00bd days to put the whole structure together. Erection could have gone even more quickly had it not been for a great oak tree which stood in the crane\u2019s way; we were unwilling to cut. If we\u2019d built this home using traditional 2 x 6 framing and roof trusses, construction would have taken weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/elementfive.co\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Refuge_St-Calixte_photo20BR_WEB.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nCLT FOR THE DWELLER<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
TS: Now that you\u2019ve lived in a home built with CLT, what have you noticed?<\/strong>
DL:<\/strong> My notion of comfort has certainly changed. The wall section design ensures full breathability and the wood mass itself regulates humidity levels naturally. My passive solar design ensures natural heating and cooling throughout the year. The thick radiant concrete floors and the wood structure provide just the right amount of thermal mass to ensure comfort day and night.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe home is also visually comfortable. Views of the forest are framed by oversized windows in all directions, giving us spaces soaked in natural light. Inside, the wood texture and color makes us feel like we are living in nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DL:<\/strong> About 10 years ago, a friend told me about CLT, a new material that could revolutionize the way we think about wood buildings. I was intrigued by CLT\u2019s environmental benefits and natural warmth. Plus, I knew that CLT would allow me to create buildings with complex geometry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few months later, I was intrigued by something else\u2014a piece of land located in a beautiful wooded area less than an hour from Montreal. Nobody wanted to build on it because of its steep slope but it was a deal I could not pass up. So my partner and I purchased the land and embarked on an exciting adventure\u2014to design and build our own dream house out of CLT. We called it Refuge \u00e0 Saint-Calixte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DL:<\/strong> As an architectural student at university, I remember constructing building models using thin sheets of Balsa wood; the wood allowed us to incorporate unique geometry into our designs. Using CLT reminds me of that same experience; it gives me freedom to do things that I cannot do that easily with other materials. I can create cantilevers using CLT; I can use walls as beams: I can vary angles. I can use CLT to make a building much more interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DL: <\/strong>It was a challenging building site. Plus, I wanted to explore and push the limits of the material by introducing multiple cantilevers and angles in all three\u2014x, y and z\u2014coordinates. After working closely with the structural engineer, I modeled all pieces precisely and sent the design information to the manufacturer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS: What did you learn about CLT during the building process?<\/strong> TS: How did the construction work?<\/strong> Crews took just 3-\u00bd days to put the whole structure together. Erection could have gone even more quickly had it not been for a great oak tree which stood in the crane\u2019s way; we were unwilling to cut. If we\u2019d built this home using traditional 2 x 6 framing and roof trusses, construction would have taken weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TS: Now that you\u2019ve lived in a home built with CLT, what have you noticed?<\/strong> The home is also visually comfortable. Views of the forest are framed by oversized windows in all directions, giving us spaces soaked in natural light. Inside, the wood texture and color makes us feel like we are living in nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\nE5: As an architect, what appeals to you about CLT?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
E5: Why did CLT make sense for this home?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nCLT FOR THE BUILDER<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
DL: <\/strong>The speed at which we can erect these structures is quite amazing. CLT provides incredible time savings compared with a traditional structure, particularly for a project with such complex geometry as this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DL:<\/strong> Once I submitted the drawings to the manufacturer, they quickly produced the shop drawings and began panel production. This design required 78 individual CLT panels; they were cut to within 1\/8-inch accuracy and shipped across the Atlantic. The panels arrived a few weeks later, neatly packed into one shipping container and individually numbered, like pieces of a giant 3D puzzle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nCLT FOR THE DWELLER<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
DL:<\/strong> My notion of comfort has certainly changed. The wall section design ensures full breathability and the wood mass itself regulates humidity levels naturally. My passive solar design ensures natural heating and cooling throughout the year. The thick radiant concrete floors and the wood structure provide just the right amount of thermal mass to ensure comfort day and night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/elementfive.co\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Refuge_St-Calixte_photo6BR_WEB.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n