From Graubünden, for Graubünden
Another important milestone on the way to the new University of Applied Sciences Center Graubünden has been passed: One year after the referendum, the cantonal building construction office submitted the building application for the new university building to the city of Chur on March 12, 2024. The ground-breaking ceremony should mark the start of construction in late fall 2024.
At the same time as the building application was submitted, the building construction office published the first part of a special film documentary. “Holzwege – How wood from Graubünden is being used to build the new university of applied sciences center” provides an informative illustration of the unusual timber procurement process chosen for the project. Those responsible decided at an early stage to obtain a large proportion of the timber from local forests and forestry and systematically launched the necessary advance measures in planning and procurement.
In 34 cantonal municipalities, the necessary trees have been felled in recent weeks, and 8 sawmills in the canton will cut the 5500 solid timber beams for the construction of the timber-concrete composite ceilings of the supporting structure. From Graubünden, for Graubünden – this is how the new university of applied sciences center will be structurally and symbolically anchored in the region.
Our project manager Hans Seelhofer is one of the people who have their say in the film. He describes the special challenges that arose from the timber procurement process for the structural design – from the choice of the ceiling system to the early fixing of the beam cross-sections to the end of the preliminary project.
(Photo: Giuliani Hönger Architekten)
