Skip to main content
Free Demo

How Metadecor Engineered a Complex 1,400 m² Timber Façade

Industry Timber
Introduction
The renovation and extension of the sports hall in Zuidwolde created a new multifunctional building known as Huus veur Sport en Cultuur. Its distinctive timber-slat façade combines an expressive architectural form with a complex system of unique components. Metadecor developed the façade using Grasshopper and Tekla Structures, earning a Construsoft BIM Award for the project. Metadecor works with architects and clients around the world to develop bespoke façade solutions. Huus veur Sport en Cultuur shows how parametric design, detailed modelling and close project coordination can turn an ambitious façade concept into a buildable system.
Over 1,400 m² of timber façades
Architech Company designed the Huus veur Sport en Cultuur with a façade consisting of no less than 1,400 m² of vertical elements made from MD Lamel pine timber. Martin Elslo, Technical Designer at Metadecor, explains: “We received the architect’s concept as a parametric model containing reference lines and rules for positioning the timber slats. Working closely with the architect, client and main contractor, we developed it into a production-ready design and added the rules required for manufacture and installation. Tekla Structures handled the complex sheet-metal components particularly well.”

1400

m2 timber façades

1

Construsoft BIM AWARD

Pine

slats on an aluminium substructure

Metadecor's first timber façade with an aluminium substructure

The project, commissioned for the municipality of De Wolden, presented Metadecor with a new challenge. Instead of the company’s usual aluminium louvres, timber slats define the appearance of the façade. “The biggest challenge lies in the fact that every part is unique in the façade. Not only in terms of length, but also in terms of position and slope in relation to the building”, says Elslo. “In the aluminium construction, we incorporated this by performing all connections with pen-and-hole joints, so that the production was dimensionally stable. One of the most important aspects that we have taken with us at an early stage is the design of a cut plate in the shape of a comb. “This allowed us to capture the position of the slat in relation to the aluminum frame and mount the slat at any desired inclination.” 

snap_002 (1).jpeg

Automating the Design Process 

"Tekla Structures ultimately played the leading role in this project," concludes Alexander Bickovskis, technical draughtsman at Metadecor. Although the basis of the design was created in Grasshopper, the model was further refined in Tekla Structures with additions such as fixings, connections, materialisation, phasing, production identification and assembly aids.

Bickovskis explains: "Automating certain parts of the design process in Grasshopper resulted in greater accuracy and a reduced risk of errors. This made it considerably easier to implement design changes efficiently, especially in the early stages of the process. In this way, both Tekla and Grasshopper made a significant contribution to reducing both manual work and the cognitive workload."

aaaaa
BIM Awards 2023 Uitreiking_Metadecor_FINAL_v1_LI&FB.00_02_06_10.Still028.jpg
HSC - Zuidwolde - Boerhoorn - MD Lamel - Metadecor (8) (1).jpg
snap_004 (1).jpeg
snap_002 (1).jpeg

Coordinating the Timber Frame and Façade

"In addition to optimising our own processes during the design and production phases, the use of BIM delivered significant benefits in coordination with external parties," Elslo says. "For example, to shorten installation time, it was essential to define and coordinate the dimensions and fixing points at an early stage. This enabled us to bring as many pre-assembled products to the construction site as possible.

We made extensive use of Trimble Connect, for example to coordinate the positions of the timber studs in the timber-frame construction with the façade and to incorporate the required provisions in the glass curtain wall. By working with BIM, we prevented errors and ensured better information provision throughout the entire process. This resulted not only in efficiency and cost savings for all parties involved, but also promoted collaboration because we were working with a single model," says Elslo.

A valuable learning experience in parametric design

This is one of the first projects in which Metadecor has gone this far in applying parametric design to the development of a façade. "The possibilities offered by the Grasshopper - Tekla Structures combination are enormous," says Bickovskis. "We regularly carry out these types of distinctive, non-standard designs, and we believe that parametric design will play an increasingly important role in them. The 'Huus veur Sport en Cultuur' project was a very valuable learning experience in that respect.

We are therefore proud of the end result and want to show what is possible with Tekla, including outside the more common steel, concrete and timber projects."

Want to know more about Tekla Structures?

Tekla Structures can be used in every phase of the construction process, from design through to delivery. Curious how this could fit within your company? Schedule a free demo with one of our specialists.

 

Tags:

Tekla BIM Awards Timber

Related Case Studies

How Degree of Freedom Engineered Finansparken Bjergsted
Tekla BIM Awards
• 07-29-2026
How Degree of Freedom Engineered Finansparken Bjergsted

1 min read

How Vibes Building Engineers Uses BIM and Tekla Structures for Timber-Frame Construction
Tekla BIM Awards
• 07-29-2026
How Vibes Building Engineers Uses BIM and Tekla Structures for Timber-Frame Construction

2 min read