Desafios e Oportunidades do Cross Laminated Timber (CLT). A adaptabilidade do sistema a edifícios de habitação plurifamiliar

Abstract

The opening sentence of this dissertation, uttered by Angelo Mangiarotti, refers to a broader understanding of the role of technology in contemporary architecture, where construction processes are no longer merely operational, but constitute conceptual and cultural instruments that shape the very way of thinking about and designing inhabited space. Within the scope of this dissertation, dedicated to the analysis of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) as a construction system for multi-family residential buildings, this idea takes on particular relevance. CLT, as a woodderived material and product of a highly controlled industrial process, not only represents a functional response to the structural and environmental challenges of current construction, but also symbolises a paradigm shift, in which prefabrication and productive rationalisation become vehicles for a new aesthetic, a new project economy and a new design ethic. Industrialisation, in this context, is not limited to efficiency or repetition, but offers architects the possibility of reimagining multi-family housing based on modular and flexible systems. Thus, CLT is more than a material; it is a tool that reconfigures the ways of designing, building, and inhabiting, calling on architects to take on a new role as mediators between technological innovation, environmental responsibility, and architectural expression. This dissertation reflects on the challenges and opportunities associated with the use of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) as a construction system in multi-family residential buildings, exploring its architectural and constructional adaptability in a context marked by the industrialisation of construction processes and environmental urgency. Wood, a material with a long tradition in the history of construction, is currently experiencing renewed interest due to its structural, sensory and ecological qualities, combined with prefabrication technologies that enable more sustainable and efficient solutions. CLT represents a significant advance in this scenario, allowing for lightweight, resistant, modular and quick-to-assemble constructions, and places new demands on architects in the design phase. The research combines a literature review with the analysis of international case studies, selected on the basis of their programmatic diversity and constructional relevance. The study aims to understand how the technical and formal characteristics of CLT influence the design methods and functional models of multi-family housing, identifying patterns, limitations, and strategies that contribute to its critical and informed implementation. In this sense, the work proposes an integrated reflection on the role of the architect in the face of new materials and construction systems, highlighting CLT as a solution capable of articulating technological innovation, constructive rationality, and environmental commitment in project design.