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The Disrupter: Uruguay Looks Trans-Tasman to Shake Up Mass Timber

From Montevideo to Melbourne, Arboreal is taking its mass timber knowledge to the world

Long considered the “Switzerland of South America,” Uruguay has emerged as a major player in the development of mass timber across Latin America. Now, Uruguyans are applying their know-how worldwide and looking to supply cross-laminated timber and glulam to faraway markets, including Australia and New Zealand.

Earlier this month, Wood Central spoke to Matias Abergo, Arboreal’s President and Co-Founder, and Guy Jacobson, Arboreal’s Global Business Development Manager, who were both in Melbourne for Timber Construct – Australia’s largest timber construction conference.

“We now export 450 containers (of timber) a month and supply 22 countries (with lumber),” Mr Abergo said, adding that Arboreal’s “state of the art mass timber plant” is a first for Uruguay. “We came from the construction industry; normally, you would start with the forestry, then do the sawmilling, and then add value to your lumber.”

“But in our case, we discovered that we can make this transition to help drive the automation of construction,” Mr Abergo said. “So we started in 2017 and fell in love with mass timber. Not just for the speed of construction but for the decarbonisation.”

Wood Central’s Jason Ross interviews Matias Abergo, Arboreal’s President and Co-Founder at Timber Construct. Footage courtesy of @woodcentralau1.

Starting with importing European timbers and using them on projects, Aboreal then took the leap and decided to establish a bricks-and-mortar plant and industry in Uruguay. “We think this is going to grow faster and faster,” Mr Abergo said, adding that Uruguay is at the forefront of the push to net zero, with the Arboreal’s plant one of many now operating off close to 100% renewable energy.

But why Australia and New Zealand?

According to Guy Jacobson, the product has been warmly received in Australia and New Zealand. “We know that there are a lot of projects in the pipeline (for 2025); we know that there are a lot of developers that are looking for some interest rate reprieve.”

“We believe competition is a good thing,” Mr Jacobson said, adding that “we (as a business) are really looking forward to growing our presence in this market over the next five to ten years.”

  • Wood Central will have an exclusive interview with Arboreal in the coming weeks.

Jason Ross. “The Disrupter: Uruguay Looks Trans-Tasman to Shake Up Mass Timber”
https://woodcentral.com.au/the-disrupter-uruguay-looks-trans-tasman-to-shake-up-mass-timber/

Exploring the World of Mass Timber

Mass Timber is a revolutionary sustainable construction system that utilizes large-scale prefabricated wood components, offering a range of significant advantages. These components, including walls, floors, columns, and beams, are manufactured with high precision in a controlled environment, ensuring rapid and efficient construction. The strength and density of its components make Mass Timber structures ideal for high-rise buildings.

One of the elements in the Mass Timber product family is Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), a product composed of multiple orthogonal layers of structural wood, bonded with high-performance adhesive. Its versatility allows for a variety of applications, from walls and floors to roofs in multi-story buildings. On the other hand, Glue-Laminated Timber (GLT), made by bonding structural wood sheets in a single direction, offers exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, making it ideal for beams, columns, and linear elements.

Both CLT and GLT have exceptional strength and stability, as well as effective thermal and acoustic insulation properties. Additionally, their sustainable manufacturing process and carbon storage capacity make these materials an environmentally friendly choice for construction.

CLT panels and GLT beams arrive at the construction site ready for installation, reducing construction time and cost. This is thanks to the power and precision of numerical control machines, capable of performing high-quality machining.

In Uruguay, the only Mass Timber plant capable of producing large-scale projects with GLT and CLT is Arboreal, located in Tacuarembó. It also has a Technical Office in Montevideo, staffed by a specialized team of engineers and architects.

Arboreal’s participation in the Mass Timber Conference not only showcased its capability and quality in Mass Timber production but also helped to position the local forestry industry on a global level.

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Facundo De Acevedo. “Exploring the World of Mass Timber.” Panorama Forestal, https://panoramaforestal.uy/explorando-el-mundo-del-mass-timber/.

From Tacuarembó to the USA: Uruguay’s Only Mass Timber Plant Participated in an International Conference

Arboreal was present at the world’s most prominent event in wood manufacturing and construction, with a large delegation of experts and a booth made from Uruguayan pine.

Uruguay made its mark at the International Mass Timber Conference, held from March 26-28 in Portland, United States. Arboreal’s participation in this prestigious international event highlights its role as a regional leader in the wood and sustainable construction sector. From its sawmill to the design of Mass Timber buildings (engineered wood products), Arboreal has established itself as a vertically integrated company committed to innovation and excellence at every step of its production process.

Arboreal representatives expressed their pride in representing Uruguay at the International Mass Timber Conference 2024 and contributing to sustainable construction. They added that the booth design is a testament to the quality of the company’s wood and the capabilities of the Mass Timber plant, the only one of its kind in Uruguay. This experience allowed the delegation to showcase the opportunities offered by Uruguay’s forestry industry in the global context of sustainable construction.

This edition of the International Mass Timber Conference featured over 3,000 participants and more than 180 exhibitors. The event is renowned for bringing together experts, professionals, and industry leaders in wood construction from around the world to share knowledge, experiences, and trends in the manufacturing and use of Mass Timber products in buildings.

Arboreal’s booth covered approximately 18 square meters and was constructed with over 45 wood pieces (Cross-Laminated Timber and Glue-Laminated Timber), representing a volume of nearly 9 cubic meters.

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“From Tacuarembó to the USA: Uruguay’s Only Mass Timber Plant Participated in an International Conference”. Tardaguila.uy,
https://tardaguila.uy/forestal/de-tacuarembo-a-eeuu-unica-planta-de-mass-timber-en-uruguay-participo-en-conferencia-internacional.

Building Better: CLT’s Role in Sustainable Urban Development

Matías Abergo spoke about his two projects that aim to revolutionize the way construction is done locally: Enkel Group and Arboreal.

Enkel Group is the first mass timber construction company in Uruguay, and Arboreal is a sawmill that provides wood solutions. Both projects are strongly oriented towards sustainability and the production and use of materials that have a positive impact on climate change. “We handle both fronts,” said Matías Abergo about these two companies he leads.

He argued that, although Uruguayans are very fond of brick construction, in the United States, large-scale wooden buildings are constructed in adverse climates and “there are no issues.”

“In 2017, with Enkel, we ventured into traditional construction, but dissatisfied with the execution, we explored alternatives,” he recounted during the first local edition of the Forbes Real Estate Summit. “We researched different construction models and fell in love with mass timber.”

They decided to train in wood construction in Europe, and then bring the system to Uruguay. “In 2020, we decided to acquire the largest sawmill in the country, investing 60 million dollars. We established a plant to produce 12-meter panels, revolutionizing the construction process and exporting more than 400 containers per month. Our plant is the seventh largest in the world,” he detailed.

“Basically, what you do is assemble an Ikea furniture in a house. They are automated lines that, after those panels, pillars, and beams are processed, a robot makes all those cuts with millimetric precision and it is totally customized,” he explained. This procedure, he added, reduced on-site problems by 90% and optimized construction time by 40%.

In the future, he spoke of two projects: the St. Catherine school and a 160-apartment building, along with other high-level developments. Regarding the construction method, he highlighted its efficiency compared to traditional methods: “We have managed to reduce on-site problems by 40% because they are resolved beforehand.”

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“Mass Timber: How the system works in Uruguay to create everything from buildings to schools in wood.”. Forbesuruguay.com,
https://www.forbesuruguay.com/summit/mass-timber-como-funciona-uruguay-sistema-permite-crear-edificios-colegios-madera-n48692.