After spruce and pine, beech is the third most common type of tree in Germany with large sustainable reserves. Its strength values far exceed those of softwoods and thanks to industrial processing to create a premium laminated veneer lumber, the use of beechwood makes economic sense. Whilst beech laminated veneer lumber (BauBuche) has already been used in larger structures, e.g., in hall and commercial constructions, construction systems for car parks have now been examined at the Technical University of Munich.
The exceptional strength of the beech laminated veneer lumber enables the use of a timber product for the supporting elements in a multi-storey car park structure for the very first time. This opens up new possibilities both from an ecological and aesthetic perspective: on the one hand, an environmentally friendly material is used which, as an active carbon store, contributes to climate protection. On the other hand, the high-quality finish of BauBuche makes it ideal for use in visible areas and also helps to upgrade the look of the car park. In terms of costs, the timber multi-storey car park is comparable to conventional structures made of steel or solid constructions.
In the model developed by the Technical University of Munich, the basic multi-storey car park construction comprises BauBuche GL70 columns and beams with a ceiling made of reinforced concrete prefabricated components. Thanks to the impressive load-bearing capacity of the timber product, the parking spaces and lanes can be spanned without support which means that the spaces can be demarcated irrespective of the construction. The creation of parking spaces for people with disabilities and adaptation of the spaces to accommodate changed vehicle sizes pose no problem.