ZAZA TIMBER Construction (previously: Igate Būve) has begun building a new building in Jelgava: an interdisciplinary scientific laboratory building for the Forest Faculty at the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LLU).
The laboratory will serve as a link between science, education and industry, and there is currently nothing else similar in Latvia. It will host a wide range of research on wood, wood pulp products and raw materials from scientific and industrial research perspectives. The laboratory will serve as an example to ensure that the building itself tells the best story about the use of forests, wood and linked resources, according to LLU Forest Faculty Deacon Linards Sisenis.
The laboratory will be built on an area of 791.1 m2 and will be 9.2 m tall. The building’s supporting structures will be made by ZAZA TIMBER Production (previously: IKTK) – these will be glulam structures made of spruce, while the walls and roof will be comprised of industrially-made insulated wooden framed panels, and the facade will be covered in industrially-coloured cladding boards. In the future, the building will be fitted with various innovative technological solutions: solar panels, double insulation, effective lighting, an energy management system, photoelectric cell system panels, high-performance wooden windows and doors, energy recapture ventilation and an effective mini air conditioning system.
On July 13th, a time capsule was buried in the foundations with a message for the people of the future. ZAZA TIMBER Construction added seeds from Latvia’s best spruce and pine trees. These seeds are part of Latvia’s forest gene pool. They were obtained from trees in the superior-level seed plantation bred by Imants Baumanis at the Norupe nursery owned by Riga Forests. The seeds were processed in the Kalsnava cone-drying kiln owned by Latvia’s State Forests. The capsule has optimum conditions for maintaining the seeds’ ability to germinate: airtight, watertight, and a stable temperature.
At the capsule burying ceremony, ZAZA TIMBER Construction Chairman of the Board Māris Peilāns said:
“We hope that, as the forest springs from seeds, this laboratory will germinate talent which increases the richness of our forests and uses them responsibly. I am particularly pleased to be working on this project because people from this university have been by our side as we developed our business. I hope that this laboratory helps to develop timber construction in Latvia, helps more timber buildings to be built here, and helps replace the log and board exports at Latvia’s ports with higher added value products: furniture and building structures.”
