by Web Editor | Jan 29, 2018 | News
New mass timber products are becoming more widespread and encouraging builders, designers, and engineers to search for the best applications for mass timber initiatives. A few of the mass timber building products available today include:
• Cross-laminated timber
• Nail-laminated timber
• Glue-laminated timber
• Dowel-laminated timber
As they test the capabilities of these materials, designers are looking to existing mass timber buildings around the world for examples and inspiration.
Canadian and European researchers and architects began experimenting with the design of mass timber buildings in the 1970s. European timber projects have shown that weight matters with structural systems, and mass timber structures weigh up to one-third as much as their concrete counterparts. This fact has made wood construction a viable prospect in places where building height and weight are limited, such as city utilities, subway tunnels, and underground rail yards.
Due to their lighter weight, mass timber buildings are more resilient in seismic zones. They carry less inertia, so the possibility of destructive swaying goes down. This approach was recently applied in the Brock Commons tower, an 18-story college residence designed for the University of British Columbia by Canadian firm Acton Ostry Architects.
The 173-foot-tall tower combines glue-laminated columns, cross-laminated timber floor slabs, dual concrete cores, and steel connectors. The cores help to counteract wind-generated and seismic forces while anchoring the mass timber building in place. It meets structural and fire-safety regulations by utilizing a specially designed set of interdependent finishes and building materials.
From CRL: https://c-r-l.com/content-hub/mass-timber-buildings-credibility/
by Web Editor | Mar 9, 2016 | News
With housing starts growing in both single-family and multifamily categories, lumber suppliers are looking to advance their product lines beyond the commodity mindset to help builders resolve more challenges. They also point to the many intangibles provided by suppliers that provide values beyond the initial price when considering options for dimensional lumber, OSB, plywood and structural panels.
“The trend we’re seeing with OSB panels is a move to enhance products in different ways,” says George Hendry, market development manager at Weyerhaeuser. “Builders are struggling with reduced levels of skilled labor, so they’re looking at enhanced panels to help them find ways to make products easier and faster to install. They want attributes that will enhance performance in the field.”
Adds Ray Peters, vice president of marketing at RoyOMartin, “Our new products are aimed at finding ways to decommoditize OSB and excel at all three factors that drive purchase decisions: price, quality and delivery. We want to stand out in that equation.”
Reducing processes and steps for installation has become a priority as builders face new challenges. “One headwind we face today is the shortage of skilled labor in many markets,” says Mary Jo Nyblad, commodity sales and marketing director at Boise Cascade. “Finding, training and retaining qualified employees at all levels of our industry will continue to be a challenge. We as an industry have done a poor job of marketing ourselves. We’re a well-kept secret, especially for young people. It’s a big blind spot.”
A prime focus for adding value has been protecting panels against moisture during the construction process and afterward, helping overcome issues with less efficient crews and eliminating the need for adding housewrap in a separate step. “Products that provide wet-weather protection are popular, as are those that need less sanding and prep time for framers and floor installers,” notes Weyerhaeuser’s Hendry.
From LBM Journal: https://www.lbmjournal.com/in-depth-lumber-and-structural-panels-2016/
