Glulam Building: Start to Finish – Part One

Part 1: An Idea
All building projects start as an idea. Typically, the owner has a site and use in mind for a building to start the process. Early decisions are: the building size, approximate shape, and primary materials.

The owner would usually approach an architect or a contractor to initiate the design and building process. Occasionally, they come directly to Unalam with nothing but a sketch or a photo of a similar project. Contacting Unalam can be the first step whether it is for a simple outdoor structure or a highly complex structure where they would like to confirm the design limits of glulam before handing things off to an architectural team to complete the design. 

Sketch by Michael Densmore, Co-Owner, Full Moon Resort, Big Indian, NY

We’ll be back next time with more on the choice of glulam as a building material. Then we’ll move on to topics of: Design, Detailing, Manufacturing, Fabrication, and more.