More benefits of choosing Troldtekt for your timber construction project

Areas such as acoustics, moisture and fire safety are important factors when considering buildings made of wood. The combination of wood and cement makes Troldtekt acoustic panels a robust solution that contributes to good acoustics, distinctive design and effective fire safety.

More about the benefits

Building with wood requires careful planning and consideration of the context in which the wood is used. This is the conclusion of researchers from BUILD (Department of the Built Environment) at Aalborg University in their report 'Climate impact' from: 45 wooden buildings'.

Among other things, the report emphasises the importance of choosing wood from documented sustainable forestry. In addition, the construction consultants interviewed for the report stress that focus areas such as fire, acoustics, moisture, logistics and aesthetics are important in timber construction.

Troldtekt acoustic panels made of wood and cement are a popular choice – also for timber structures. Here you can read about how the panels help meet a number of important requirements when building with wood.

Great room acoustics

First and foremost, Troldtekt cement-bonded wood wool on ceilings and/or walls helps to ensure excellent room acoustics. The open surface structure of the panels effectively absorbs the sound in the room, eliminating noise and reverberation.

While a concrete ceiling absorbs only 1–2 per cent of sound, a Troldtekt ceiling will typically absorb 80–90 per cent, depending on the given structure.

It is important to mention that there is a difference between sound absorption and sound insulation. Troldtekt is well-suited for absorbing sound and thus ensuring good acoustics in a room – but reducing noise through walls or floors requires other methods. Here, the BUILD report presents several good examples of timber construction.

Effective fire safety

Wood is an organic and combustible material, which is why fire safety is an important focus area in timber construction. In the Troldtekt panels, each wood fibre is encased and protected by non-combustible cement. This is why Troldtekt panels have low flammability and emit very little heat during a fire and almost no smoke.

Although Troldtekt acoustic panels are a wood-based product, there is no need to add fire-retardant chemicals, as the cement ensures effective fire protection. This also means that the material health is top-notch.

Troldtekt acoustic panels are CE-marked according to both the European standard for cement-bonded wood wool, EN 13168, and the European standard for suspended ceilings, EN 13964. Troldtekt has been tested and classified for reaction to fire and has achieved the following fire classification.

Troldtekt acoustic panels: B-s1,d0
Troldtekt design solutions: B-s1,d0
Troldtekt A2 (with special cement): A2-s1,d0

Documented sustainability initiatives

All of the wood in Troldtekt acoustic panels complies with the requirement for sustainable forestry. The wood comes from certified forests in Denmark (FSC®C115450 and PEFC™), and as a customer you can choose whether your Troldtekt acoustic panels are FSC- or PEFC-certified. Both certifications set requirements for biodiversity and working conditions in forests, among others.

Troldtekt acoustic panels are Cradle to Cradle-certified at Gold level. The acoustic panels are documented as being free of harmful substances, and can therefore be safely returned to the biological cycle.

Additionally, waste from the production of Troldtekt acoustic panels is included in the technical cycle as a resource in cement production by Aalborg Portland. Troldtekt is working on expanding this solution to include broken and damaged panels from production – and eventually also building site and demolition waste.

You can see the carbon footprint of the panels throughout their entire life cycle in the environmental product declarations (EPDs) for the different variants of Troldtekt acoustic panels. And in documentation packages that Ramboll has prepared, you can see Troldtekt’s contribution to the points in sustainability certifications such as DGNB, BREEAM, WELL, etc.

Robust, durable and high moisture tolerance

Solid materials with a long lifespan are good for the environment and for total life cycle costs. It is often both easier and more sustainable to choose materials that last for 70 years than materials that last for 20 years.

Troldtekt cement-bonded wood wool has the outstanding properties of the raw materials from which is it made. Cement ensures strength, while wood provides breathability. This means that Troldtekt cement-bonded wood wool has a long service life of at least 50–70 years and tolerates humid rooms.

The Danish Technological Institute has documented that Troldtekt acoustic panels are suitable for installing in rooms with:

moisture levels of up to 98 per cent (+2/-5 per cent)
high temperatures of up to at least 40 degrees.

Troldtekt has thus achieved the highest CE marking level (D) for water resistance.

Most builders use Troldtekt indoors for ceilings and walls, but you can also install Troldtekt on covered terraces or under balconies and other overhangs, for example. In this way, you can achieve a look where the inside ceiling continues outside, for example matching wooden facades and other wooden elements.

Distinctive design

An acoustic solution can help to enhance the overall design expression of the building. For example, should the look be bright and light? Or darker and more exclusive – perhaps even with expressive patterns?

With Troldtekt, you can choose classic cement-bonded wood wool panels where the structure of the wood fibres is clearly visible. Or you can choose one of the award-winning solutions from Troldtekt’s design series.

The design solutions are industrially produced with, for example, grooves cut into the surface, patterns or special dimensions. All the solutions are designed to create a sense of coherence on ceilings or walls. In short, it’s not about the panel, but the surface.

You can choose unpainted natural Troldtekt acoustic panels, where the white or grey cement, together with the wood, creates a natural colour. Or you can choose to have the panels factory painted in either one of the standard colours of white, grey and black or a custom colour of your choice.

Raw materials close to the factory

Troldtekt cement-bonded wood wool is produced exclusively with wood from certified Danish forests. The cement is produced by Aalborg Portland using raw materials from Danish mineral sources.

This means that all of Troldtekt's raw materials come from within a radius of around 150 kilometres. In this way, the carbon footprint from raw material transport is kept to a minimum, while at the same time ensuring supply security at the highest level, as Troldtekt is not dependent on deliveries from other countries or continents.