Building with wood in hot, desert climates

Welcome to the Katara Hills luxurious development located in the heart of Doha, the capital and financial hub of Qatar. If you are considering building with wood in an area with extreme climate conditions you might want to take a minute to read the back story behind the spa building and some of the exclusive villas that are made with a mix of materials including sustainable mass timber and classic sawn wood.

Qatar is a very small country, about the size of Wales but it's weather is extreme to say the least. Being a desert, it has scorching dry months that can soar as high as 50.4C (122.7F). Like other Gulf states, they can also experience very high humidity (up to 70%). And on top of that, they also have to contend with seasonal winds that create sandstorms known as shamals. All of this can result in very difficult conditions for construction and the safety of workers. 

A prefabricated Sylva by Stora Enso building kit was a good solution for three of the guest buildings at Katara Hills Hotel, resulting in a rapid install of just 4 months. All customisation requiring CNC cutting with heavy equipment was carried out in safe, factory-controlled settings in Europe before shipment.

The Sylva kit was delivered with a just in time delivery service in 11x40’ cube containers, which further reduced the amount of time that the wood was exposed to high moisture in the atmosphere and decreased the likelihood of moisture damage from the humidity. 

Materials by Stora Enso

- Sylva™ GLT Beams 22,75m³
- Sylva™ CLT Walls 416m³ / 2.869m²
- Classic Sawn Timber: 61m³ of battens

Read more about how you can protect wood from moisture and UV damage.