Cross-Laminated Timber: A Review on Its Characteristics and an Introduction to Chinese Practices

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is a popular engineering wood product in recent years. It has some characteristics of configuration and mechanical properties, which makes it an excellent building material for floor, roof and other places. In Europe and North America, lots of middle and high-rise buildings have adopted CLT as their main structural component. CLT has recently been used to construct public buildings in China. As a building material, the lower rolling shear properties of CLT has always been a concern. To overcome this shortcoming of CLT, the structural composite lumber and bamboo have been employed to develop hybrid CLT. This chapter also presents the latest development and advances of CLT in China.