In matters of sustainability and environmental protection, wooden curtain walls improve on the efficiency of traditional walls built with materials such as concrete or steel.

The Wood IoT Wall project seeks to exceed these expectations with an even more innovative focus, with economic backing by the Basque Government and the ERDF, within the framework of the Hazitek programme.

The objective of this project is to further improve wooden curtain walls with cutting-edge technology and innovative proposals. The plan includes the creation of an advanced BIM model for curtain walls, in conjunction with a digital twin that provides smart assistance in its design, construction and scalability.

This system aims to optimise the energy efficiency of curtain walls through detailled management of aspects such as ventilation, shade, lighting and temperature.

Gymnasium München Nord, Alemania | Arq: h4a Gessert + Randecker Generalplaner | Product: VIGAM: oak glulam beam

New: radiata pine curtain wall

This year’s new development is marked by the tests conducted on radiata pine. To date, research to design a smart wooden curtain walls had been on the only oak glulam in the world with the CE marking for structural use.

The tests on pine have been very positive, which opens up the possibility of applying this technology to other species. An interesting fact is that each wood not only has its own characteristics, but also its own advantages in terms of application in different industrial sectors.

In this case, the radiata pine curtain wall would not have been possible without the CE marking for structural use of the radiata pine glulam wood of GRUPO GÁMIZ

Accompanying us on this adventure are Uxama, Carpintería Irastorza, Genelek and Tecnalia.

Energy efficiency achieved with beauty, elegance and sustainability

That is the true objective of R&D+i: being able to live in a better world without sacrifices. In the case of architecture, construction and industry, wood provides sustainability, function, elegance and beauty.

Thanks to research at Grupo Gámiz for example, in addition to designing and manufacturing the only single oak glulam in the world with the CE marking, we are able to make curved beams in any measurements. This boosts sustainable architecture, as we help architects shake off any limits to their creativity and their drive to respect nature.

Similarly, our glulams enable the development of curtain walls that, combined with glass and occasionally with other materials such as aluminium, result in more beautiful, radiant, elegant and natural façades.

Grupo Gámiz, innovating since 1942

With the Wood IoT Wall project we are taking a step further in perfecting the spaces where we live our lives with maximum energy efficiency.

Improving our products, protecting forests and contributing to our customers’ processes are the main starting points for our everyday work, which began in 1942. Today we are continuing along the same path of innovation and sustainability, working day by day in search of the best primary and secondary processed wood products.

Click on the link to discover how they can help you with your project.

Wood products for industry

La entrada The most natural material and the smartest design unite to build and protect the environment se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

The fact that wood is a building material experiencing an upturn has been seen for some time. In reality, rather than just a current trend, it would be ideal if sustainable, certified wood with structural capacity were here to stay. In the end, it may well be the material that can best help architecture finally become sustainable architecture.

To the qualities of wood as a natural and ecological material —in addition to beautiful, elegant and warm, of course— we must add technology. Research has helped glulam wood achieve extraordinary levels of structural quality. As proof of this we have VIGAM, the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use, designed and manufactured by Grupo Gámiz. As well as this project that we’re talking about today.

Tübingen City Hall | Arch: a+r Architekten GmbH | Product: VIGAM: Oak glulam.

‘Wood IoT Wall’. A step further in energy efficiency

We know that wooden curtain walling provides greater efficiency than conventional curtain walling (concrete, steel, aluminium, etc.). The Wood IoT Wall project aims to go even further, an ambitious objective funded by the Basque Government and the ERDF through the Hazitek programme. 

Compared to curtain walling models used currently Wood IoT Wall differs in the concept of its design with emerging technologies and capacities. For example, the project anticipates the generation of a complex BIM objective of curtain walling, as well as a digital twin for smart management of this curtain walling, and provision of knowledge, traceability and action on aspects of the structure related to energy efficiency: ventilation, shade, lighting, temperature, etc.

To make this reality, this adventure has participants who are exceptional in the world of construction, wood, industry and research. Grupo Gámiz is accompanied by Uxama, Carpintería Irastorza, Genelek and Tecnalia.

Smart curtain walling has to be wood

Today wooden curtain walling is the sustainable alternative to other applications with materials that are less respectful of the environment. This sustainability is also related to efficiency, as shown by the protagonism of wood in passivhaus buildings.

Agricultural centre, Salez | Arch: Andy Senn Architektur GmbH. | Product: VIGAM

So it is logical that when studying the creation of smart wooden curtain walling wood is the main material, like in this project, Wood IoT Wall, in which GRUPO GÁMIZ is participating with its R&D department… and with all the enthusiasm of people working here. We’ll keep you informed!

La entrada Innovation: GRUPO GÁMIZ is participating in a smart curtain walling project se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

“Sustainability consists in building thinking about the future, not only taking into account the physical resistance of a building, but also thinking about its stylistic resistance, the uses of the future and the resistance of the planet itself and its energy resources.”

Could he say it any more clearly? This opinion, reflected in the book Renzo Piano, sustainable architectures (Ed. Gustavo Gili, 1998), marks the sustainable vision of Renzo Piano’s architecture and urban planning. The Italian, with a Pritzker prize in 1988, is not only one of the top architects of the last 50 years, but also a reference point for architects who strive to protect the world in which we live with their works without limiting the imagination and creativity.

Renzo Piano, Italian architect, Pritzker Prize-winner | Photo courtesy of  Floornature

From high-tech architecture to the sustainable reflection

It would be an absurd task to try to deduce whether Renzo Piano has changed as the world has changed or, in contrast, if he has tried to change the world in parallel to his own personal evolution, transferred to his projects. While it is true that in its early days he forged an image of a high-tech architect, one of his most emblematic works marked the turning point in his work and in the general conception of world architecture.

The Pompidou Centre in Paris, a project in collaboration with his colleague Richard Rogers, was hailed in its day as the height of modernity, the future of architecture. Nevertheless, the enormous energy costs and the rapid ageing that building with large quantities of metals of all types entailed was soon noticed. This problem worsened with the oil crisis in 1973 and that forced architects to think about a more sustainable path for architecture.

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Sustainable materials, a key point in the projects of Renzo Piano

In this period Renzo Piano and other high-tech architects (including Rogers himself and Norman Foster) created the group READ after taking part in a convention on solar power in architecture and urban planning. The result was a 180-degree turn: none other than the emergence of the concept of sustainable architecture.

From then on, the projects of Renzo Piano have been marked by a sustainable vision in all important decisions. The choice of the materials is a key issue. For example, 95% of the construction materials of the skyscraper The Shard in London are recycled. The glass of the façade has a low iron content.

The Shard, London | Arch: Renzo Piano studio | Photo courtsey of The Shard

The hallmark of the Astrup Fearnley Museum in the port of Oslo is a spectacular wooden structure, and the Auditorio Parco della Musica de Roma used travertine, pre-oxidised lead and handmade bricks.

Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art. Oslo, Norway (2012) | Arch: Renzo Piano studio | Photo courtesy vía realestatemarket

The Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre, in New Caledonia, is a spectacular example of creativity and sustainability, thanks to the avant-garde impact of ten pavilions constructed in wood with bamboo walls, integrated into a location by sea full of vegetation.

Jean Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre | Arch: Renzo Piano studio | Photo courtesy of asombrosaarquitectura

MOdA, the headquarters of the Paris bar association, was constructed using VIGAM

At GRUPO GÁMIZ we have been lucky to have had the pleasure and the honour that Renzo Piano chose our product VIGAM, the only glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use, to build the Maison de L’Ordre des Avocats, the headquarters of the Paris bar association.

Maison de l’Ordre des Avocats | Arch: Renzo Piano studio | Grupo Gámiz Product: Oak glulam – curtain wall | Photo courtesy of ©L.Zylberman/Graphix-Images

The Maison de l’Ordre des Avocats | Arq: Estudio de Renzo Piano | Producto Grupo Gámiz: Viga laminada de roble – Muro Cortina |Photo courtesy of Facebook Renzo Piano Building Workshop

The building is part of the City of Justice in the French capital, and this is where the studio of the Italian architect has used VIGAM to create beautiful wooden curtain walling for its façade. The aesthetic capacity of the oak, along with its structural certification, make aesthetic solutions such as this possible, that spur creative freedom and respect for the environment.

If you’d like more examples of applications of oak curtain walling, this article has other very interesting projects. More and more architects all over the world are discovering the aesthetic values of oak glulam, including renowned figures such as Renzo Piano and Herzog & de Meuron.

“One of the great beauties of architecture is that each time, it is like life starting all over again”.

At GRUPO GÁMIZ we think like Renzo Piano: there are always new ways —and in this case sustainable and eternal ways, such as quality wood— to confront creation and life.

La entrada Sustainable architects: Renzo Piano se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

The Italian Renzo Piano (Pritzker prize 1998) is one of the most well-known architects in the world. He is also one of the most tireless voices on the need to engage in design and construction with respect for the environment. His defence of sustainable architecture can be read in numerous interviews and statements and, of course, it can be seen in his work.

Renzo Piano’s close relationship with Paris began in the 1970s, when he created the Pompidou Centre alongside Richard Rogers. The French capital is home to one of the branches of his RPBW studio, which was responsible for creating the new Palace of Justice, located in district 17 of the city.

Maison de l’Ordre des Avocats: façade with wooden curtain walling

One of the main buildings in this complex is MOdA, the headquarters of the Paris bar association, where wooden curtain walling can be seen. This sustainable solution for lightweight façades is an option that is used ever more frequently by architects thanks to the beauty of the wood and its structural abilities.

The wooden curtain walling at MOdA was built with VIGAM, the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use, designed, manufactured and distributed by GRUPO GÁMIZ.

The Maison de l’Ordre des Avocats | Arq: Estudio de Renzo Piano | Producto Grupo Gámiz: Viga laminada de roble – Muro Cortina | Foto vía ©L.Zylberman/Graphix-Images

Maison de l’Ordre des Avocats | Arch: Renzo Piano studio | Grupo Gámiz Product: Oak glulam – curtain wall | Photo courtesy of ©L.Zylberman/Graphix-Images

Maison de l’Ordre des Avocats | Arch: Renzo Piano studio | Grupo Gámiz Product: Oak glulam – curtain wall | Photo courtesy of ©L.Zylberman/Graphix-Images

Maison de l’Ordre des Avocats | Arch: Renzo Piano studio | Grupo Gámiz Product: Oak glulam – curtain wall | Photo courtesy of ©L.Zylberman/Graphix-Images

Maison de l’Ordre des Avocats | Arch: Renzo Piano studio | Grupo Gámiz Product: Oak glulam – curtain wall | Photo courtesy of ©L.Zylberman/Graphix-Images

Maison de l’Ordre des Avocats | Arch: Renzo Piano studio | Grupo Gámiz Product: Oak glulam – curtain wall | Photo courtesy of ©L.Zylberman/Graphix-Images

Maison de l’Ordre des Avocats | Arch: Renzo Piano studio | Grupo Gámiz Product: Oak glulam – curtain wall | Photo courtesy of ©L.Zylberman/Graphix-Images

Transparency, exchange and functionality

Curtain walling is this ideal choice to transmit one of the symbolic ideas that sustain this project by Renzo Piano: the transparency of the institutions responsible for upholding justice. From the outside, everyone can see the comings and goings of the people who work there.

Maison de l’Ordre des Avocats | Arch: Renzo Piano studio | Grupo Gámiz Product: Oak glulam – curtain wall | Photo courtesy of ©L.Zylberman/Graphix-Images

In addition, the building and its adjacent squares have been designed to serve the other activities typical of the Court of Justice and, likewise, form part of the public life of the neighbourhood.

La entrada A symbol of transparency manufactured in wood se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

Wooden beams are unrivalled when providing warmth to the interiors of houses and homes. European oak beams, in particular, transmit the intrinsic beauty of nature and the eternal nobility of a top quality wood, strong and adaptable, recognisable at first glance by those with the most stringent aesthetic tastes.

Up to now, the traditional solution has been to use wooden beams to design decking, pergolas, attics, eaves, roofs, etc., and, above all, the interior decoration of ceilings in lofts and attics that sought an elegant, welcoming touch.

Detached residence, Trentino | Carpentry: Damiani-Holz&KO S.P.A./AG. | Product: Oak glulam

The good news for today’s architects, those whose projects are gradually shaping the list of successes of sustainable architecture, is that technology has helped oak glulam beams meet, in addition to a decorative function, a strictly structural construction objective.

Versatility is guaranteed. And with an exceptional extra: sustainability.

Wooden curtain walling is now possible

At GRUPO GÁMIZ we design and manufacture VIGAM, the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use. Architects now have unlimited design and creation possibilities thanks to this certification. From now on, structures traditionally built with non-sustainable materials (concrete, steel, etc.) can be designed using top quality wood.

For example, sustainable change is coming to façades all over the world with the ability to build ecological curtain walling in wood, the ideal sustainable building material thanks to its aesthetic, functional and natural qualities.

If you’re looking for inspiration, this article has eight examples of real applications of oak glulam curtain walling. You’ll see how great figures in architecture, such as Renzo Piano and Herzog & de Meuron already have faith in oak for their projects.

Cambridge UK | Arch: Herzog & de Meuron | Product: Application of curtain wall – Oak glulam

One hundred percent natural architectural flexibility

In addition to their use in ecological lightweight façades, VIGAM wooden glulam beams for structural use are the perfect material for building detached houses or the refurbishment and repair of historical monuments or buildings among many other applications.

In all cases, their aesthetic results are visible after their functional achievements in structural use, marked by their guaranteed durability and greater resistance than other types of solid beams, without dimensional limits:

• High load capacity
• More lightweight compared to other materials (steel, etc.)
• Dimensional stability: the temperature does not cause them to expand or contract
• Highly resistant to fire
• Minimum environmental impact: Wood is a natural and sustainable material

Refurbishment of the Santa María cathedral in Vitoria-Gasteiz |Arch: Leandro Cámara | Product: curved oak glulams

The sustainable structural alternative is already a reality

A few years ago, the structural possibility of wood, at this level, was a dream of architects who understand their profession as a challenge with a responsibility to the environment. Today, the only wooden glulam beams in the world with the CE marking for structural use are a viable structural alternative to concrete and steel in many projects.

Thanks to VIGAM by GRUPO GÁMIZ, this dream has come true. Sustainability, aesthetics and versatility are already on the drawing boards of the world’s architects.

La entrada Oak glulam beams: there is (structural) life beyond concrete and steel se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

Architecture began in the Neolithic period, when human beings were sedentary and started to adapt the spaces in which they were going to live. Like the prehistoric bone that Stanley Kubrick launched into the air and that came back transformed into a spaceship, between that moment and now, about 12,000 years have flown by. 

Architecture has come into the XXI century as always: evolving, asking questions, seeking answers. It seems clear that the next milestone will be construction that respects the environment and protects the planet where future generations will live. In this new era of sustainable architecture, the materials used are key. And wood seems destined to be the essential building material.

Enovos, Luxembourg | Arch: Jim Clemes | Product: Oak glulam – curtain wall

Wooden curtain walling. The lightweight façade revolution is beautiful

The construction systems for façades have also evolved throughout history. As soon as human beings had mastered making glass, they included it in their buildings to protect from the climate and enjoy natural light. It was usually secured using wood. 

The XX century connected glass with materials such as steel, aluminium and concrete, and thanks to the skyscrapers of York and Chicago curtain walling became a classic of architecture and popular imagination.

Home Insurance Building in Chicago | Arch: By William Le Baron Jenney | Photo courtesy of  Wikipedia

Today, when the threat of climate change is more real than ever, architecture, as wise as nature, is returning to the past and opting for what is natural, for wood, to reinvent itself once more and make sustainable curtain walling possible.

Quality and strength thanks to the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use

In addition to being an ecological and sustainable material, the VIGAM range by GRUPO GÁMIZ consists of the only glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use. 

This means that architects can include them in their projects to build one hundred percent wooden curtain walling. The result is a beautiful, natural and warm, welcoming and fully sustainable interior, a long way from barely ecological conventional materials such as aluminium and steel.

Cambridge UK | Arch: Herzog & de Meuron | Product: Application of curtain wall – Oak glulam

A sustainable, effective and creative alternative

Its virtues of thermal and acoustic insulation are, for example, further advantages of opting for quality certified wood in architectural projects that seek energy efficiency.

Wood has always been with us. And it always will be if we complete the circle of sustainability and the circular economy. The good news is that, if the wood products used are objectively good, architects can continue to give free rein to their imagination without renouncing strength, resistance, design or creativity, while fulfilling their responsibility of reducing the environmental impact while they work.

La entrada Can curtain walling be made entirely of wood? se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.