Image

Cross Laminated Timber Turns 100

It is not readily known, as it is thought of as modern technology, but Cross-Laminated Timber is actually 100 years old as of yesterday. The patent that describes the technology was published on 21 August, 100 years ago. 

The patent that describes the technology is repeated below:

“The strips or boards thus formed are then cut into suitable lengths and such lengths are then superimposed one above the other so as to form a plurality of layers, with the grain of the wood in one layer running at an angle to the grain of the wood in the adjacent layer.”

Also not known, and contrary to popular belief, it was invented in the USA, not Europe. 

FRANK J. Wars and ROBERT L. WATTS, citizens of the United States, residing at Tacoma, in the county of Pierce and State of Washington, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Composite Lumber, of which the following is a specification.

So it can be seen with the image above: CLT was described one hundred years ago.

Latest Posts

Image
6 October 2026

Building a timber trampoline in the sky!

The Pringle at Assembly Studios near Atlanta is an 82-foot clear-span, 4,000-square-foot bending-active timber gridshell. Its two-layer roof was assembled flat from straight 3-by-3-inch timber laths, lifted in a single...
Read More
Image
6 October 2026

Mass timber solution to Canada’s housing crisis

New study from Perkins&Will offers mass timber solution to Canada’s housing crisis — researchers propose a prefabricated, modular mass-timber system for accelerating housing delivery while supporting the nation’s economy and...
Read More
Image
6 October 2026

Waikato Regional Theatre case study

The Waikato Regional Theatre is an arts-led regeneration project intended to create a civic and cultural hub on Hamilton’s riverfront. Designed as a community and visitor destination, it will combine...
Read More
Image
29 September 2026

Timber engineering of tomorrow

An airship hangar as a blueprint for the timber engineering of tomorrow: it is the gates that make the scale of this structure immediately comprehensible.  But the real highlight of...
Read More
Image
29 September 2026

Go the Swiss!

Bürogebäude Wood in Grenoble — The six-storey timber structure uses columns and beams spaced 4–6 m apart, supported on shallow concrete footings with tie-rods for seismic resistance; the eastern section...
Read More
Image
29 September 2026

EVE Music Hall — Croatia

This looks like an icon in the making – can’t wait to see the finished photos inside this magnificent space! The EVE Music Hall is set to become a new...
Read More
Image
29 September 2026

Albert Park Pit Building

Who doesn’t like civic buildings especially when they also serve as Grand Prix venues. Woods Bagot has been appointed to lead the architectural vision for the redevelopment of the Albert...
Read More
Image
22 September 2026

The Court Theatre – case study

The Court Theatre project is a purpose-built performing arts venue in Christchurch, designed to be the cultural heart of the city. The building integrates mass timber elements to enhance sustainability,...
Read More
Image
22 September 2026

Wood is Good Day at Te Hapara School

Hands-on Wood is Good Day gives students a glimpse into the people, technology and opportunities behind forestry. Te Hapara School students got up close to the world of forestry this...
Read More