OLD AND NEW thinking can reap rewards in modern construction …
On 1 March 2019 one of construction ’ s most exciting structures will officially open . Mjøstårnet , which translates as the ‘ tower of Lake Mjøså ’, is an 81m-tall timber construction that will house offices , a hotel , apartments , a restaurant and a roof terrace . The brainchild of Arthur Buchardt , Mjøstårnet offers a degree of proof that tall buildings can be built using local resources , local suppliers and sustainable wooden materials . To find out more about the project , Construction Global sat down with Rune Abrahamsen , CEO of Norwegian timber manufacturer Moelven Limtre AS , the man tasked with delivering Buchardt ’ s dream , to discuss what the success of Mjøstårnet could mean for the future of the industry .
Building the dream The story of Mjøstårnet started in 2015 , when Buchardt asked to meet Abrahamsen . As one of Scandinavia ’ s largest wood-processing groups with 3,500 employees across Norway , Sweden and Denmark , and a turnover of more than € 1bn in 2016 , Moelven Limtre was well placed to consult on the possibility of building a major timber structure . Moelven also played a key role in the construction of the Treet , a 52.8m-tall timber building in Bergen , on the west coast of Norway . “ Back in February 2015 Arthur Buchardt requested a meeting ,” says the Moelven CEO . “ It was here that he sketched what he wanted , the world ’ s largest timber building , on a napkin . He asked if this was actually possible . I said ‘ give me a couple of weeks and I ’ ll let you know ’. And that ’ s how it all began .”
While timber might offer a glimpse of the future , the use of big data and analytics is also set to play a bigger part as the industry embraces digital transformation . Many firms are starting to utilise real-time , cloud-powered analytics to help deliver high-quality , safe projects faster and at a lower cost . Has Abrahamsen noticed this shift towards the increased adoption of technology and what part has it played in the construction of Mjøstårnet ? “ The industry is more digitised , especially on the design and actual construction front . On this project for example , it ’ s possible for the builders to use an iPad to see where in the building they are in a 3D
10 January 2018