The materials used are technical products and must be installed according to professional standards. We recommend that the installation be carried out by a professional.
The restructuring of the MusikHall (or Hall 9), at the Bruz exhibition center south of Rennes, began a few months ago. The goal is to transform this venue into a major cultural facility in Brittany, with a standing capacity of 10,000. To meet the project's requirements, the existing glulam structure had to be reinforced. This is where Metsä Wood's Kerto®-Q, developed in France by ISB, played a key role.
"The buildings at the Exhibition Park are now obsolete and lack overall coherence. The renovation of Hall 9 marks the beginning of a modernization of the site in terms of the building itself, its access, and its programming. Hall 9 is being completely renovated; only the glulam structure is being retained.
The constructive choices of the project
To renovate and improve the acoustics of the hall, the original fiber cement roof, lined with a removable suspended ceiling (20 kg/m²), was removed and disposed of to make way for a new system (waterproofing on a steel deck with an acoustic plasterboard suspended ceiling, ventilation system, and solar panels) increasing the load to 110 kg/m². To meet this requirement, the existing glulam timber frame had to be reinforced to support the new loads. The choice naturally fell on the solution that is increasingly becoming the standard in this type of situation, due to its mechanical performance and lightness: Kerto®-Q.
Kerto® LVL in this project
To reinforce existing glued laminated timber arches against buckling and shear, Kerto®-Q emerged as the ideal solution for this project for several reasons:
Exceptional dimensional stability thanks to cross-folding
Mechanical performance providing very high strength properties
Lightweight and easy to handle, reducing the need for lifting equipment
Custom machining to fit the shape of the arc
Rapid implementation, dry solution, limiting the impact when work is carried out as here on an occupied site (closure only during major trade fairs)
Fire resistance
Two more years of construction before the MusikHall (or Hall 9) can host its first concert in September 2028 and its first exhibition.
“Kerto® is being called upon more and more frequently for structural reinforcement in glued laminated timber, when the building is sound, in cases of adding solar panels or changing the purpose of the building. Each time, the objective is clear: to adapt the structure to current or future constraints while ensuring safety and sustainability.
