With the establishment of Holzbau Unterrainer 16 years ago, a promising upward trend began which has continued to this day. Already in 2010, the company invested in a cross-laminated timber press with an annual production capacity of 20,000 m³.
Managing director Leonhard Unterrainer had this idea already during his training where he came into contact with CLT for the first time. “I quickly became aware of the advantages and, most of all, of the potential of this new way of building in wood,” Unterrainer recalls.
Today, the company’s focus is on single-family houses as well as commercial and non-residential buildings. Within a certain radius, Unterrainer carries out CLT projects from the board to the finished building. Beyond that radius, the East Tyrolean company supplies ready-made joined elements.
“Other timber construction companies not only appreciate our deep understanding of the problems and challenges of modern timber constructions but especially our delivery times,” Unterrainer tells us. He also mentions time as an important criterion in the decision-making of private investors and public property developers. On the construction side, CLT has an advantage over other solid construction systems thanks to the short assembly times.
Radius timber
In addition to classic CLT, Unterrainer is mainly known for its specially developed radius timber, i.e. curved CLT with a radius of at least 2 meters. The construction elements’ maximum dimensions are 13.5 by 2.95 meters. The elements are produced in the same press as the standard CLT, with special pressure elements ensuring the desired curvature.
Radius timber is available in spruce and larch. The annual output is around 1,000 m³. “For the timber industry, the market is too small and the expense is too great, and that’s how it became a successful niche for us,” Unterrainer explains. Radius timber is mainly used for residential buildings. For the construction of halls, Unterrainer also developed a modular barrel roof for halls of any length.
The 2.95-meter-long barrel roof segments are made of 160 mm thick, curved CLT and can carry a snow load of 450 kg/m² with a span of 20 meters. Here, too, speed is Unterrainer’s strong suit: For the construction of 1200 m² of hall space, the company estimates that around eight days are needed for the assembly.
Healthy growth
Unterrainer currently produces around 10,000 m³ of straight and curved cross-laminated timber each year. With the investment in a new joinery machine, the company wants to raise the annual output to 12,000 m³.
“Our customers appreciate our quality and our service. Demand is very strong and I don’t think that this is going to change in the near future,” Unterrainer says, in conclusion.
