Wooden high-rise buildings are planned for construction in Buryatia.
Government Buryatia and the BN Group company signed a cooperation agreement to develop modern wooden housing construction in the republic.
"For Buryatia, this marks a new stage in the development of advanced timber processing and modern housing construction. The most important things are new jobs, additional tax revenue, and the construction of high-quality, modern housing for our residents," the head of the region stated Alexey Tsydenov.
The main technological focus is on CLT panels—several layers of boards laid perpendicular to each other and glued together under high pressure. Thanks to the wood's flexibility and the panels' strength, these structures offer high seismic resistance and thermal insulation, making them an ideal material for Buryatia's challenging climate.
Until recently, wooden multi-story construction in Russia was constrained by strict fire safety regulations. For buildings over three stories tall, the wood had to be completely encased in fireproof materials, which negated both the visual and environmental benefits of the technology.
However, the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Emergency Situations are currently completing tests to update the regulatory framework. The new standards are expected to allow for the widespread construction of wooden buildings over five stories tall, preserving the wood grain in the interiors and façades.
World experience proves that this is possible: in Norway и Canada 18-story wooden buildings have already been built, USA — 25 floors high. of Russia The Segezha Group company became the pioneer, having built the first four-story wooden residential buildings in the Vologda city at the end of 2022. Vultur Volans.
The main problems so far are that there are only a few large CLT panel factories in Russia, which increases logistics costs. The estimated cost of CLT homes is 10-15% higher than traditional ones. And the public and some developers remain distrustful of the durability and fire safety of wood.
Photo: Wooden houses in Sokol. Source: Vladimir Smirnov/TASS
