Could this be the fastest installation of a Sylva™ LVL building kit to date?

Refurbishment of a former convent (Las Salesas) into the regional government headquarters is a history lesson in and of itself, complete with the discovery of remains ranging from the 1st to the 20th century and a Roman horse. 

While you can dive into those impressive finds, for this case study, we will focus on just one part of the multi-year restoration project that took mere hours to complete —the skylight. 

It's the incredibly light, and easy-to-install laminated veneer lumber (LVL) wooden frame for the skylight that we would like you to take a look at. 

The window floods the building with daylight and a soft luminescence which is so healthy and enjoyable for the workers. It is so small, but it also brightens and lightens the waiting area into a space that makes you feel almost glad you have to wait. Optimising the use of natural light also radically reduces the operational expenses in heating and lighting utilities. 

More to the point, though, LVL was likely the only material for the job. Concrete and steel would have been far too heavy to lift into place with the lightweight cranes that could access the sensitive restoration. LVL is five times lighter than concrete and twice as strong in a strength-to-weight ratio.  Madgeria used 13 m³ of LVL-X, which is 51 mm thick. The elements range from 113 cm to 130 cm, and there is a slope for draining water, which you can see in the shop drawings. It was assembled in a workshop just 8 km from the site and installed within a couple of hours making it possibly the fastest Sylva™ LVL kit installations we know of. 

Sustainability specifications WELL (health and well-being of users) Green Certification (environmental quality, resource management)

Watch from demolition to completion