Pavillion with a load-bearing timber-glass composite facade

Load-bearing timber-glass composite elements belong to novel developments in the field of structural glass. Composite action is achieved by adhesively bonding the glass pane onto a timber substructure. Recent research works focus on shear walls in the building envelope. Glazing in facades and outer walls could contribute to the bracing of the structure or the stabilization of the facade itself. The paper presents a feasibility study of such timber-glass composite elements with a size of approximately 2.40 x 2.40 m. Their full potential arises from the use of an adhesive of medium stiffness which exhibits rather small deformations compared to e.g. structural silicones. The performance of the components was assessed in several experiments. This work also aims at solving the main construction details of the application of such elements as a facade. Special attention has been taken into solving water and air tightness, and to reduce thermal bridges.