by Web Editor | Oct 11, 2017 | News
As a crane lowered a glulam beam and construction workers on either end deftly guided it into connection with two upright wooden columns, a tour group member shook his head and said, “It’s like Lincoln Logs.”
Kind of. Which may in part explain some of the attraction of builders and designers to the potential use of strong, precisely engineered, carbon-storing wood beams, columns, wall panels and floor decking. As Chris Evans, a Swinerton Builders project manager put it, wood is the first building material people use to make the forts, homes and hideouts of childhood.
These days, builders and designers are joining mill owners, university researchers and policy makers in taking a fresh look at advanced wood products, “mass timbers” and what’s come to be called “tall wood” design. Advocates believe it can replace concrete and steel in mid- to even high-rise buildings, and provide an economic jolt to rural Oregon in terms of forest management and mill jobs.
In Hillsboro, Evans and Swinerton Builders are overseeing construction of the largest known U.S. building to date that uses cross-laminated timber, or CLT, for flooring, and glulam posts and beams. The Oregon headquarters of First Tech Credit Union will be five stories high and have 156,000 square feet of office space. Swinerton Builders is the general contractor.
Another tall wood building planned for Portland, called Framework, will be 12 stories high and will have five floors of affordable housing. That project was awarded a $1.5 million federal design competition grant to help with seismic and fire testing and certification.
From Capital Press: https://www.capitalpress.com/Oregon/20171005/nations-largest-mass-timber-building-under-construction-in-oregon
by Web Editor | Sep 18, 2017 | News
A delegation from China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD) visited Tacoma, Washington-based APA-The Engineered Wood Association and toured wood-framed building projects in Seattle on September 11.
The delegation, led by Director General Yu Binyang, was the highest level foreign government group to visit APA in recent years. In addition to APA, the trade visit was hosted by the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Lab (FPL), located in Madison, Wisconsin.
Representatives from the City of Bellevue, Wash. Planning and Development Department and U.S. Embassy Agricultural Trade Office in Beijing were also present.
The visit comes as China begins to formulate the nation’s timber structure construction development plan as part of the 13th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development. In a meeting held at APA headquarters in Tacoma, Director General Yu Binyang and other MOHURD representatives discussed opportunities and challenges around building with wood in China. Considerations included the importance of sustainability, green building, codes and standards, and further development of trade relations with the U.S.
“We were very pleased to host this Ministerial delegation from the People’s Republic of China,” said APA President, Edward Elias. “The caliber of this mission, in both the quality of participants and content, demonstrates the effectiveness of APA’s efforts to expand the interests of the North American wood products industry within this key Asian market.”
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/seeking-greener-construction-chinese-delegates-visit-us-wood?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news
by Web Editor | Aug 21, 2017 | News
Ever since the 10-story Home Insurance Building in Chicago was called the first “skyscraper” in 1885, architects have been striving to create ever-taller buildings. Ten stories quickly became 20, 20 became 50, and on and on. In 2009 the Burj Khalifa in Dubai became the world’s tallest building, with its 154 floors towering above ground level.
So why is the mayor of Portland, Oregon, calling a modest 12-story tower set for completion there next year “a true technological and entrepreneurial achievement?” It’s not the affordable housing the building affords, nor its dozens of bike racks or even the roof farm that has Ted Wheeler gushing. It’s that the Framework apartment building will be made almost entirely of wood.
Once completed, Framework will be America’s tallest wooden building and its first “plyscraper” — a high-rise building built with panels made of cross-laminated timber (CLT). These modular sheets are made from cheap, sustainable softwood that are glued or pinned together in layers — a bit like super-strong, super-thick plywood.
While the raw material might vary in quality, CLT (also known as mass timber) is engineered to be stronger than concrete. CLT panels resist earthquakes and even fire, charring instead of catching alight like the lumber in typical homes.
Plyscrapers can be bolted together in days, and they require a fraction of the labor use to erect traditional steel-and-concrete high-rises. “You don’t need an experienced master carpenter to do this,” says Casey Malmquist, founder of Columbia Falls, Montana-based SmartLam, one of only two CLT manufacturers in the U.S. “It literally goes together like Legos.”
From NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/tech/eco-friendly-plyscrapers-are-rise-here-s-why-ncna793346
by Web Editor | Aug 14, 2017 | News
Roofs made from wood are one or the rarest roof types to find around these days, as concrete slab and shingles take over, according to Choice Solutions Roofing and Exteriors Co. In Oklahoma City.
Wood is not seen as strong as some other materials when it comes to construction, but in general well-maintained roofs made of wood can have a lifespan that ranges from 30 to 50 years. Having a wooden structure on top of a house has several good qualities, and it can look great. Here are some examples of wooden structures which are not the average roof that will provide an idea of how unique and marvelous structure topped off with wood can become.
The Centre Pompidou Metz has a hexagonal pattern of a load-bearing timber roof structure which is visible at night through its transparent covering membrane. It is interesting to know that the inspiration of the roof comes from a woven Chinese hat. Before this one-of-a-kind structure was created, it was studied from every angle to ensure that it would withhold heavy weather conditions. This woven like structure roof is made out of wooden beams, spaced 2.90 meters apart, forming a hexagon pattern that is 90 meters wide.
The timber used is glue laminated which enables the different lengths of the beams and makes them more resistant. It is without a doubt an astounding structure due to its complex curves and counter curves and therefore it is one of the most challenging and largest structure built up to date.
The mesh can allow the roof to expand 40 meters, made from protective fabric which consists of fiberglass and Teflon, forming a membrane over the wooden structure. This layer helps the inside temperature to stay natural. This building was created for displaying art and the goal behind the innovative structure was to draw tourism to Metz, France.
Read more on this from Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/architectural-products/timber-structures-show-potential-wood-construction?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news
by Web Editor | Aug 7, 2017 | News
Just off the winding Sea to Sky Highway running along the coast from Vancouver to Whistler, B.C., the unique wooden architecture of the Squamish Adventure Centre beckons tourists to stop in.
The building is almost entirely made of wood. The timber roof is shaped like two massive discs jutting out of the center of the structure almost like wings, separating the building into two sections.
The company behind the eye-catching structure is Squamish’s own FraserWood Industries. FraserWood opened its doors to Canadian Forest Industries in early April to show us how they turn cants into strong and beautiful custom timber products at their facility in Squamish, B.C.
The company has been in operation since 1998 when owner Peter Dickson purchased a radio frequency (RF) kiln from his former employer, Canfor. Today the company not only operates two RF kilns to dry massive timbers, but has expanded into custom planing and re-sawing, joinery and CNC milling and glulam.
The bulk of FraserWood’s customers are timber framers, but they also sell to building supply centers and log home builders. With a staff of more than 30 including scientists, engineers and R&D specialists, last year was the most productive in the company’s history, with more than 1.5 million bdft of high-value timber passing through the facility.
From Wood Business: https://www.woodbusiness.ca/sawmilling/mills/fraserwood-innovates-with-high-end-timber-products-4387
