The National Institute of Forest Science (Director Jeon Beom-gwon) under the Korea Forest Service held the completion ceremony for the ‘Hangreen Wooden Building,’ the nation's tallest timber structure (one basement floor and five above-ground floors), on April 23 at the Gaheung housing site in Yeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
The completion ceremony was attended by some 200 people, including officials from the Korea Forest Service, the National Institute of Forest Science, members of the National Assembly, the city of Yeongju, related agencies, academia and industry, during which the nation's tallest timber structure was introduced, followed by a tour of the facility.
To meet the height standard (18m) for timber buildings under Korea's building codes, the ‘Hangreen Wooden Building’ incorporates a variety of research and development technologies, including the structural Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) developed by the National Institute of Forest Science and structural member joint technology that satisfies the performance required in actual construction.
The National Institute of Forest Science has steadily conducted research on timber utilization and timber construction technology, reducing construction costs and improving building quality in areas such as fire resistance, seismic resistance, sound insulation and thermal insulation. Among these efforts, it is carrying out research on structural CLT, which enables mass production and prefabricated construction through standardization and is thus well suited to high-rise timber architecture.
In addition, this building applies structural glued laminated timber used for columns and beams as well as a structural CLT system used for walls and floors in order to provide the two-hour fire resistance performance required for timber structures of five or more stories to guard against fire, and it is expected to become a benchmark for future high-rise timber architecture in Korea.
Kim Man-jo, Director of the Forest Medicinal Resources Research Center, said, “The ‘Hangreen Wooden Building’ is an important example that demonstrates the excellence of Korea's timber construction technology, and we expect it to become a beautiful landmark, much like Muryangsujeon Hall, which has long been a source of pride for Yeongju.” He added, “Beyond creating the technological significance of a high-rise timber structure, we will strive for the continued development of the forestry sector through cooperation with the city of Yeongju.”