by Web Editor | Sep 10, 2018 | News
Construction is underway in downtown Toronto on a multi-story mixed-use project that incorporates an innovative combination of glulam and cross-laminated timber (CLT).
The timber installation, scheduled for completion in mid-September, encompasses a combined floor and roof area of 3,800 square meters. The development, located at the southwest corner of Charles and Yonge streets, is thought to be the first significant contemporary “mass timber” project to proceed in the city’s downtown core.
By definition, mass timber construction uses large, prefabricated wood members for wall, floor and roof construction. These products include glue-laminated timber and CLT. “Timber construction is definitely staking a new claim, so many years after now century-old wood buildings were being constructed in the city,” said Gary Williams, president of Timber Systems Ltd.
The Markham, Ont.-based company was awarded a contract in November 2015 to both supply and install the timber for the four-story project which incorporates an existing heritage-designated building.
The project is being carried out for Shoppers Drug Mart, now owned by Loblaw Companies, by a team that includes Toronto-based architects Brook McIlroy and structural engineers Blackwell. The two firms have collaborated on wood construction projects in the past.
For more on this from ConstructConnect visit https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/projects/2018/09/toronto-timber-build-trendsetter-developers.
by Web Editor | Aug 24, 2018 | News
First Mass Plywood Panel Gets APA Certification
Freres Lumber Company says it has achieved Mass Plywood Panels (MPP) certification under the
APA – The Engineered Wood Association’s ANSI/APA PRG 320 standard.
The product is the first Mass Timber Panel constructed entirely out of Structural Composite Lumber (SCL) worldwide, making it much more cost effective than CLT (cross-laminated timber) options, according to a Freres news release. Mass Timber Panels will allow rapid construction of multi-story structures with pre-fabricated structural wood panels, the release says.
The predictable char rate of mass timber panels allows buildings to be built taller with wood, allowing multi-story structures out of wood up to 18 stories anticipated in the next iteration of the International Building Code (IBC). Wood structures carry a smaller carbon footprint, provide greater sustainability, faster construction with less waste and are an economically favorable construction method compared to concrete and steel, Freres says.
The company says it is continuing to refine the design values of the product line, and will roll out additional MPP product configurations.
From Building Design + Construction: bdcnetwork.com
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by Web Editor | Jul 19, 2017 | News
The International Code Council Ad-hoc Committee on Tall Wood Buildings provided five fire scenarios that were tested in each of the two one-bedroom apartments constructed using mass timber in a multi-story apartment building. The test scenarios included various arrangements of exposed and unexposed cross-laminated timber (CLT) with open doors between living and sleeping areas while the effectiveness of automatic sprinkler systems was simultaneously evaluated.
Test 1: a mass timber structure fully protected with gypsum wall board was subjected to a large furnishings and contents fire. The test was terminated after three hours without significant charring on the protected wood surfaces of the structure.
Test 2: approximately 30 percent of the CLT ceiling area in the living room and bedroom were left exposed. The test was terminated after four hours, providing additional time to determine if there would be any significant fire contribution from the exposed CLT. Notably, once the furnishings and contents had been consumed by the fire, the exposed CLT essentially self-extinguished due to the formation of char that protected the underlying wood.
Test 3: parallel CLT walls were left exposed, one in the living room and one in the bedroom. Similar to Test 2, once the apartment furnishings and contents had been consumed by the fire, during which a protective surface of char formed on the CLT, the mass timber surfaces essentially self-extinguished.
Test 4 and 5: examined the effects of sprinkler protection. For both tests, all mass timber surfaces in the living room and bedroom were left exposed. Test 4 demonstrated that under normal operating conditions, a single sprinkler easily contained the fire. For Test 5, the fire was allowed to grow in the compartment for 23 minutes before water was supplied to the sprinklers which quickly controlled the fire.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/architectural-products/cross-laminated-timber-fire-testing-sees-promising-results?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news
by Web Editor | Jun 22, 2017 | News
A $250,000 grant from the U.S. Forest Service will help Freres Lumber Co. bring its veneer-based massive plywood panels to the market.
Announced late last year, Freres Lumber says its massive plywood panels (MPP) could be used for floors and walls in multi-story commercial buildings, and they could be made to order. Freres hopes its panels will revolutionize the construction industry.
“We were recently informed that our mass plywood plant was named the Forest Service’s top project in the U.S.,” Freres executive VP Rob Freres said. “This was a competitive process with 114 grant applications submitted for consideration.”
Designed to be an alternative to cross-laminated timber, Freres’ massive panels can be as much as 12 feet wide and 2 feet thick. Freres says there are many potential benefits.
Structures made of MPP could be made in days instead of months, says Freres, and use 20-30 percent less wood than cross-laminated timber. The lightweight nature of MPP could reduce truckload transport costs. Large format panels could be manufactured at a facility to include window, door, and all other required cut-outs – minimizing waste and labor on the job site.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood/panel-supply/freres-lumbers-massive-plywood-panels-receive-big-grant
