Development of an Innovative Approach for the Renovation of Timber Floors with the Application of CLT Panels and Structural Glass Strips

Abstract

ABSTRACT The trend of renewing buildings and providing new housing, public and other areas without using new building lots is becoming increasingly important. A frequent situation in building renewal is the change of the category of use, which can in certain cases require the consideration of higher imposed loads for the floor elements that are often of the timber floor type, and result in necessary strengthening procedures. Often, strengthening methods impair the original appearance of the timber floor. An example of such a procedure is the usage of tensile strengthening elements made from steel or various polymers. If the strengthening element is glued to the timber joist, the procedure is not reversible anymore and is therefore unfavorable for timber floors of historical or architectural importance. This article proposes an improvement of the strengthening technique with cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels. The usage of a glass strip as an additional reinforcement is discussed and evaluated with a practical example. The proposed approach enables the usage of thinner CLT panels, thus still achieving a considerable increase of the timber floor load-bearing capacity. The essential feature of the suggested approach is the preservation of the original appearance and simultaneous strengthening of the timber floor.