Two pieces of solid oak, each of them measuring no less than 12m long.
After the 6 hours of steaming necessary to make the timber pliable, the heat and moisture softened the wood fibres enough so that the beamshelves could be bent and stretched to hold their new shape once cooled down.
The manoeuvre was challenging due to the size and length of the plank. The movement had to be fast, yet precise and synchronised, as the wood can easily crack when it cools down under such pressure.
Here is the video showing how we managed without a hitch!