HARDWOOD GLULAM IN COMPLEX STRUCTURES: DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE MACA MUSEUM IN URUGUAY

This work presents the process of structural design, fabrication, and construction of the MACA museum in Uruguay, with a focus on the use of hardwood species. The main room of MACA museum (1600 m²) is a 3D complex structure made of Red Grandis (Eucalyptus grandis) glulam. The structure was designed by 19 bi-hinged frames, made up of inclined columns of 15 m of maximum height and curved beams of variable cross-section up to 27 m long. Given that Uruguay’s first forest plantations date in the ’90s, there is not yet a structural timber industry. The first timber standards were approved in 2018, and even Europe lacks a harmonized standard for the manufacturing of hardwood glulam. This paper presents the state of the art in hardwoods glulam and focuses on the difficulties and opportunities associated with the use of a hardwood species. In addition, it contemplates the importance of coordinated work between the academy and the industry (architects, structural engineers, and constructors) in the development of the design, manufacturing, and construction of the complex hardwood glulam structure of the MACA museum.