Tree-to-Product: Prototypical workflow connecting Data from tree with fabrication of engineered wood structure - RawLam

This paper introduces an experimental method to close the gap between the digital value chain of the timber industry and design-to-production methodologies of contemporary architectural design workflows. We present the speculative research probe RawLam, which investigates how the integration of data gathering across the wood value chain, performance based computational design, and digital fabrication enables new strategies and aesthetics for the production of engineered timber and increases its sustainable usage. We introduce a holistic tree-to-product approach, which connects data collected from a raw log through Computer Vision and CT-Scan with design and fabrication tools that control and direct the cutting and processing of trees into timber products. By means of the two physical RawLam prototypes we demonstrate how this approach allows us to work and design with natural material behavior, use more timber in a raw state. The prototypes allow us to evaluate the performance of our new developed techniques, transform low-quality wood into high-performance building products, resulting in less use of resources, and enabling. They allow us furthermore to highlight areas of further research in order to come closer to the vision of an integrated dataflow from tree to product, that is able to link the inherent qualities of raw timber to the design of hyper-specified glue-laminated timber structures.