Excursion timber and masonry construction 2022

Four destinations in the Central/Eastern Thuringia region were visited as part of the one-day excursion to timber construction/masonry construction on June 7, 2022.

At Wienerberg GmbH in Eisenberg, the participants were given a comprehensive insight into the production processes of modern thermal insulation bricks - from the extraction and delivery of raw materials, raw material preparation, shaping in the brick strand and the firing process in the tunnel kiln to the thermal insulation perlite filling.

The production of laminated timber trusses could be followed and reconstructed at STRAB Ingenieurholzbau Hermsdorf GmbH. In the joinery hall, the students were also given an insight into unusual special processes in timber engineering, such as the production of GRP-reinforced column base coatings for clamping in concrete sleeve foundations, the formation of rigid frame corners using universal finger joints or the block gluing of BauBuche components to form high-load-bearing solid timber columns for hall construction.

A visit to the Dragon's Tail Bridge in Ronneburg was the third destination of the day's excursion. With a total length of approx. 225 m, the unique wooden span construction is one of the longest wooden bridges in Europe. The bridge is also a successful example of the consistent implementation of structural wood protection measures. Encouraged to sway slightly by the students, the "Adventure Bridge" of the 2007 Federal Horticultural Show still lived up to its nickname in 2022.

The visit to the Jena-Holzland forestry office in Stadtroda proved to be a successful conclusion. On the one hand, the students were able to view a state-of-the-art timber building that was awarded the German Timber Construction Prize in 2019, and received additional information on the special features of the building's construction and the main construction material used, BauBuche, during a presentation by Mr. Jan Hassan (Pollmeier Massivholz GmbH und Co. KG). The visit was rounded off by the great commitment of the forestry office staff. A presentation first provided information about the tasks of a forestry office. A walk in the nearby municipal forest gave the participants a direct insight into some current forestry issues and challenges in connection with climate change. Forestry office manager Bernhard Zeiss and district manager Philipp Vogel emphasized the importance of the forest on the one hand, but also the importance of the structural use of wood from sustainably managed forests for climate protection on the other.

Impressions of the excursion can be found below. We would like to thank the companies and the forestry office for the interesting practical insights and presentations!