Cross Laminated Timber Over Other Building Materials in Terms of Speed and Efficiency of Construction, Design Performance Environmental Flexibility, and Other Factors
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Photo courtesy of Lend Lease CONTINUING EDUCATION Cross Laminated Timber CONTINUING EDUCATION Taking wood buildings to the next level Earn 0.1 ICC CEU Sponsored by reThink Wood, American Wood Council, and FPInnovations | By Layne Evans Learning Objectives After reading this article, you should be ross laminated timber (CLT) is construction to new heights, the most able to: an engineered wood building recent example of which is the Forté, 1. Describe the characteristics of cross laminated timber (CLT) and its use in a system designed to complement a 10-story CLT apartment building range of building types. 1 light- and heavy-timber in Australia. It offers the structural 2. Discuss the advantages of cross Cframing options. Part of a new product simplicity needed for cost-effective laminated timber over other building category known as massive (or “mass”) projects, as well as benefits such as design materials in terms of speed and timber, it is made from several layers of versatility, rapid installation, reduced efficiency of construction, design flexibility, environmental performance lumber board, stacked crosswise (usually waste, lighter weight (compared to and other factors. at 90 degree angles) and glued together concrete), and energy efficiency. 3. Use technical guidance available in the U.S. on their wide faces. This cross lamination In North America, CLT is relatively Cross-laminated Timber Handbook related provides dimensional stability, strength new but quickly gaining momentum. Last to key issues such as structural design, and rigidity, which is what makes CLT a year, the American National Standards connectors, vibration, and fire resistance. 4. Recognize how U.S. CLT buildings can viable alternative to concrete, masonry Association approved ANSI/APA PRG be approved under current building and steel in many applications. It can be 320-2012 Standard for Performance-Rated codes and how this will change under used for an entire building, as both the Cross-Laminated Timber, a product the 2015 International Building Code. lateral and vertical load resisting system, standard that details manufacturing 5. Examine the use of CLT in three innovative or for select elements such as the roof, and performance requirements for but very different building projects in the U.S., Canada and Australia. floors or walls. qualification and quality assurance. CLT has been popular in Europe Thanks to recently approved code changes, To receive credit, you are required to read the for more than 20 years, with extensive CLT is also scheduled to be included entire article and pass the test. Go to www.awc.org for complete text and to take the research and a documented track in the 2015 International Building Code test for free. record supporting its widespread use. (IBC). In the meantime, a handful of Internationally, it has propelled wood innovative designers have already built 1 CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER U.S. CLT HANDBOOK The U.S. CLT Handbook is a peer reviewed technical resource developed by research organization FPInnovations in cooperation with the American Wood Council, USDA Forest Products Laboratory, APA, U.S. WoodWorks and a team of more than 40 national and international experts. It includes detailed information that can be used for the design and construction of CLT systems under the “alternate design” path (or similar concept) that is typical in building codes. It can be downloaded free of charge from the website www.masstimber.com, and hard copies can be obtained from the American Wood Council (www.awc.org). CLT structures in the U.S. and Canada, use of CLT in a project, such as structural Design flexibility. CLT can be used for having had them approved under their design, connections and fire performance, an entire building or any combination of local building code as an alternative as well as resources available to those wall, floor/ceiling and roof applications. building system. In the IBC, the applicable seeking additional detail. Through Its light weight and other characteristics section is 104.1.1, which states that “An examples of existing buildings in North make it highly adaptable to different types alternative material, design or method of America and around the world, it will of projects, designs and site conditions construction shall be approved where the also illustrate the design flexibility and like soft soils or tight proximity to building official finds that the proposed adaptability of this unique wood product. neighboring buildings. CLT elements can design is satisfactory and complies with also be combined with other building the intent of the provisions of the code.” Why CLT? materials, enabling flexibility in design, This course will consider the Designers choose wood for a variety style and finish architecture. When field characteristics of CLT that make it not of reasons—including aesthetics, modifications are needed, one of the only a viable option, but an ideal choice cost effectiveness and environmental advantages of CLT over materials such as for many building types. Based on the performance—many of which are the precast concrete is that changes can be U.S. Cross-laminated Timber Handbook2 same for CLT. However, CLT also builds made on site with simple tools, pending it will focus on technical information on these advantages with several of its approval by the engineer of record. necessary to engineers considering the own. This section provides a high-level Three examples of CLT’s design Photo courtesy of Karakusevic Carson Architects overview of these benefits, and is followed Photo courtesy of Martin Tessler, courtesy of Perkins+Will by a closer look at issues of particular importance to structural engineers. Speed and efficiency of installation. CLT panels are manufactured for specific applications. They are prefabricated, complete with pre-cut openings for doors, windows, stairs, service channels and ducts, and shipped directly from the manufacturer to the job site, where they can be quickly and efficiently Designers of the five-story Earth lifted into place. This can shave months Sciences Building at the University of off the construction schedule. Many British Columbia used CLT for the roof manufacturers ship panels with pre- and exterior canopies. installed lifting straps; contractors Photo courtesy of Lend Lease then use cranes to lift panels into place. Because panels are designed for specific end-use applications, they are often delivered and erected using a “just-in- time” construction method, making CLT ideal for projects with limited on-site storage capacity. When Bridport House (see image) in London was constructed in 2011, it was the largest contemporary timber- CLT’s relative light weight made it ideal built apartment block in the world. In addition to its structural characteristics, for the five- and eight-story Bridport The CLT construction was completed CLT’s aesthetic benefits are highlighted in House, located over a large storm in 12 weeks, by four skilled laborers Forté suites with exposed balcony ceilings sewer in London’s Hackney Borough. and one supervisor.3 and interior walls. 2 CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER Photo courtesy of IVALSA flexibility are discussed in case studies degradation. In addition, later in this course: CLT offers increased CONTINUING EDUCATION The Crossroads, a 52,000-square-foot compartmentalization if client and staff reception area owned by used for interior walls. Fire the Promega Corporation, is part of a protection is covered in more 300,000-square-foot Good Manufacturing detail later in this course. Practices (GMP) facility, which is a highly regulated and specialized building Seismic performance. used for manufacturing medical device Because of their dimensional products. The Crossroads has a fairly stability and rigidity, CLT complex footprint, forming a sinuous panels create an effective S-curve which wraps around one corner lateral load resisting system. of the larger facility. The design team Since it is a system of chose to use wood for the two-story, open multiple, small connectors, area. Structurally, they were challenged CLT also offers good to use a material that would perform well ductile behavior and energy for the long-span deck needed to cover the dissipation. Researchers curved roof. CLT provided the solution. have conducted extensive The Earth Sciences Building (ESB) seismic testing on CLT and at the University of British Columbia is found panels to perform comprised of two five-story wings—a exceptionally well with laboratory wing made from conventional no residual deformation, reinforced concrete and the North Wing, particularly in multi-story a new LEED Gold building with offices applications. and lecture halls, which utilizes wood as In Japan, for example, a the main structural element. The North seven-story CLT building Wing features an innovative combination was tested on the world’s of mass timber systems, including CLT largest shake table. Even roof and exterior canopies, composite when subjected to severe laminated strand lumber/concrete floors, earthquake simulation and glued laminated timber (glulam) Tested in Japan on the world’s largest shake table, (magnitude of 7.2 and heavy timber braced frames. The two wings this CLT building survived 14 consecutive seismic acceleration of 0.8 to 1.2 are connected by an atrium, also made events with almost no damage. g), the structure showed no from solid wood panel and glulam post- residual deformation after and-beam construction. masonry and steel building types. Even the test. The maximum inter-story