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Stories in the development of tall timber

WHERE DOES THE FUTURE OF MASS TIMBER GO FROM HERE?      [PART 1] FIBRE SUPPLY

6/11/2017

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Mass Timber appears to be taking off as an accepted, no, preferred method of construction in the modern world. Europe is ripe with projects in the pipelines and suppliers struggling to keep up with demand. Australia and New Zealand are building their own production plants and moving forward with a number of firms eager to build smarter. North America is saturated with weekly announcements of new production facilities opening, design firms starting up, and massive projects being undertaken. 

For many groups previously involved in the industry this is everything we could hope for and more. Finally getting to play with the big teams in construction and show them what we can really do. Seeing our value being incorporated into the folds of society. The current Tallest Mass Timber building in the world, UBC Brock Commons demonstrated not only how Mass Timber can be smarter, but also how it can be produced costs effectively and pair with modern manufacturing techniques. Since that point the flood gates have opening and many design and construction teams are considering joining in on this bright future. However, this key turning point doesn't come without concerns or uncertainty of where the future may take us. 
UBC Brock Commons CLT
UBC Brock Commons - Post & Platform CLT, Photo by Seagate Structures
The questions that immediately come to my mind currently relate to fibre supplies, design skills to implement, lofty expectations and upcoming fire codes. Let's start with a small discussion on each of these issues over the next few blog posts:

FIBRE SUPPLY FOR MASS TIMBER

Fibre supply for Mass Timber carries inherent concerns. Can we grow enough tress in a sustainable manner to produce all of the projects we have developing? At current market size, this is a no brainer and not much of an issue at all, however if Mass Timber starts to take up, 5, 10, 15, 30% of the market place for new construction, will sustainable forestry practices be able to meet demand? The answer remains to be seen, however, I believe as we integrate Mass Timber further into our everyday lives we will see society put more value on timber lands, not only for their fibre value, but also for their intrinsic ecological value. Building with Mass Timber creates a link back to the natural world that will hopefully help humanity through the next centuries. 

I am getting side tracked here, but the point I am slowly digging at is that as we value forest ecology further as both a wild land and sustainable crop for harvest we will hopefully see better utilization of fibre and longer lasting products of intrinsic wealth being built out of them. The average lifespan of a single family dwelling in the US is 40 years! That is absolutely pathetic. However, with Mass Timber buildings being created my hopes are that this higher value, massive product will have more thought put into it, and withstand the tests of time better, aiming for 200 year or why not 400 year lifespans? If this does become the new norm, we can expect that fibre supply, in the long distant term will level out to a sustainable development rate. 

Looking at the 18 story UBC Brock Commons project, it used roughly 2000 m^3 of CLT and 220 m^3 of glulam. This roughly amounts to 15,000 trees, and all of this lumber took Canadian forests roughly 5 mins to grow. In another lens this would require 3 - 4 acres of land set aside for 40 years to grow enough timber to house 404 students. To me, that comes out as a sustainable practice, that signals long term for thought and intensity of purpose.    
​VIDEO LINK TO UBC BROCK COMMONS
Penticton Lakeside Resort Interior CLT
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Ok, enough dreaming and wishy washy talk. What problems are we faced with today? 

Well for one, fibre prices have gone through the roof in North America over the last year. A trade war on Softwood lumber between Canada and the US has jacked up prices, large natural disasters and hurricanes have increased demand on framing lumber and record breaking forest fires have limited supply. Are these prices here to stay? More importantly, do these prices allow Mass Timber to be an economical competitor with steel or concrete alternatives?

These prices are most likely not here to stay, historically we have seen a range of fibre surges, however they have always returned to a normal baseline. As for current prices being economically competitive with other forms of construction I have seen many examples of projects that still pass the sniff test to be produced in Mass Timber, however there is something to be said for fibre optimization and conservation of resources.
Mass Timber buildings will continue to be economically viable in a number of situations for those who know how to build efficiently, my worries are that a number of first time evaluators will be starting to review Mass Timber options based on currently high fibre prices. These early onset team may not be able to make their project work due to difficult or poor design implementation and then move back to steel or concrete without giving this revolutionary construction system the proper critique or time it deserves. 

Europe has currently remained relatively within its own fibre costs bubble, however the demands of the US housing market will slowly reach their shores and we will see upticks in the costs of fibre across the board. Next spring we will likely see lumber prices come back down to reality, however we are currently riding a record breaking high, so what will the new reality set at, and will Mass Timber still be seen as an economically logical means of construction? 
10 Year High Lumber Price
Nasdaq Lumber Price - 10 year high (Nov 6th 2017)
Construction teams I have been working with recently have gone to no end in scrutinizing costs and calling for five or more rounds of repricing, comparing both steel and concrete alternatives, so far at the end of the day these price points have still worked for the projects we have evaluated and they have persisted with their Mass Timber design. 

I believe the Timber Revolution will make it through these challenges, and maybe these are the break pads necessary to ensure we stay within the bounds of logic and sustainability. How do you see fibre supply determining the future of Mass Timber? ​

PS. Look forward to hearing more about some of these large scale revolutionary projects that have entered the Mass Timber landscape signalling mainstream acceptance.  
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ShigEru Ban Steps Into New TERRITORY With The World's Tallest Timber Hybrid Skyscraper in Vancouver 

16/7/2016

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Photo: Shigeru Ban via Vancity Buzz
Vancouver BC is quickly becoming a hot bed of the Mass Timber world. The city is already sporting the world's tallest hybrid timber skyscraper, UBC Brock Commons , but Shigeru Ban plans to push that even further as his firm takes on the skylines of the Pacific North West. 

The project details have not been fully released yet but briefings entail a hybrid building with the lower portion being conventionally constructed with concrete and steel. The upper 7 (or more) stories are designed in hybrid mass timber solutions. Mass timber was chosen to help reduce the eccentric mass at the top of the building during a seismic event. This allows the building to exhibit superior earthquake performance characteristics. 

In Shigeru Ban's refined style, the project is expected to exemplify elegance of materials and purity of connections. This engineering feat sees a amazing combination of international architects & engineers meeting with local knowledge and abilities to produce a one off masterpiece. The project is expected to host Douglas Fir glulam as a key feature of West Coast style, strength and local sustainability. 

​We look forward to more developed press releases and final project details to form, fit and height. 
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HeartWood The Beach

6/7/2016

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HeartWood the beach Mass timber
Quadrangle Architects has teamed up with Fieldgate Homes to produce Toronto's first Mass Timber six story building. The project will host 37 high end residential suites. Titled, HeartWood The Beach, the development is currently in pre-construction and located at 1884 Queens Street, Toronto, near the waterfront. Mass Timber with use as CLT and Glulam was chosen for the primary structural system being cited as more environmentally friendly than concrete or steel and just as strong. The goal behind the structure is to expose the wood where practical and create a dialogue between modern urban society and the natural world beyond, integrating them as part of a holistic linage. 

You can learn more about the project on the developer's website HERE. 

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Mass Timber Tower Ontario
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World's Tallest Mass Timber Building - UBC Brock Commons 18 storie residence RiSEs

1/7/2016

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The World's tallest Mass Timber building is well underway and the Mass Timber portion of the project is moving ahead of schedule. The 18 story student residence has been proceeding with erection at nearly a pace of two floors per week. The final project will top out at 53 m (173 ft) tall and house over 400 student dorms.  The University of British Columbia has been extremely progressive in the pursuit of modern engineered wood products, helping to support the economy of British Columbia, as well as supporting the city of Vancouver for its Greenest city in the world 2020 vision. 

A Mass Timber - concrete hybrid structure was selected to demonstrate the viability of Tall Wood structures while remaining cost comparative and adding life safety factors. The project demonstrates a high level of fire safety with multiple redundant systems in place, including 3 layers of gypsum and high end reserve sprinkler system. In the event of an earthquake the timber structural weighs less than the concrete alternative and provides better energy dissipation, allowing it to exemplify superior seismic performance. 

The project is revolutionary in its use of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) in a true 2-way span, allowing for the removal of all beams in the structural system. The Mass Timber system consists of glulam columns and CrossLam floor plates with specialty steel connection linking the elements. These elements are progressively assembled and stacked together at a record breaking pace.  The Mass Timber portion was prefabricated with CNC machines offsite to tight tolerances. This allows for a quick and easy progression on site with little to no problems and holdups. 

Key Mass Timber Project Members of the team are:

UBC Properties Trust - Client
Acton Ostry - Architect of Record
Fast + Epp Engineering - Engineer of Record
UrbanOne - General Contractor
Seagate Structures-  Mass Timber Installer
Structurlam Products - Mass Timber / CrossLam Fabricator

This live webcam from Seagate Structures, gives a weekly timelapse of the project and daily photos. 

Keep tuned for more updates and in-depth report at the end of the project. 

​
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UBC Brock COmmons 18 story project gets the green light!

2/10/2015

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Tall Timber UBC Brock Commons

A true high rise timber building has been given the green light by the UBC board of directors on October 1st 2015.  The project is planned to be an astonishing 53m (174') tall. This will be the tallest wood based building in the world once completed and contains no doubts that this is a true high-rise tall timber building. 

The innovative design was produced by Acton Ostry Architects, of Vancouver BC, Architekten Hermann Kaufmann of Austria, and Vancouver's Fast + Epp Structural Engineers. This unique project team was able to combine the benefits of wood with an new structural design making the timber structure a competitive solution to alternatives on its own.  CLT is used in a true two way span making it one of the most efficient floor systems possible. Quick connect steel systems are used between glulam columns and CLT floors. 

Two concrete elevator cores are combined with glulam columns and Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) flooring panels. This produces a robust structure in a high seismic zone while mitigating carbon impacts and allowing a relatively quick erection time.  The project is set to be home to 404 student residences  while attaining a LEED Gold level accreditation.  Strict fire protection methods have been put in place for this one of a kind timber skyscraper arguably making it safer in terms of life safety in the event of any fire conditions. Vigorous testing and requirements were placed on the structure before it was allowed to move ahead the next levels of projects stages demonstrating world wide leadership in technical engineering with the Earth's most dynamic material, wood. 

The University of British Columbia is a world leader in Forestry Management and Wood Products research. This project is one of many on the UBC campus to demonstrate innovative, sustainable and beautiful uses of value added local resources. The UBC Faculty of Forestry has something to be proud of today helping produce, demonstrate and be home to a clear example of sustainable forestry matched with modern technologies in Architecture and Engineering. 

The project will likely be completed with SPF and Douglas FIr. Some of the tallest Pine trees in the world are reported at 83 m (260') tall, while the tallest Douglas Firs are around 120m (415') tall. Our engineering still has yet to match both the life cycle and structural efficiency of these beautiful organisms, however we are slowly closing the gap with projects like this. 

This project will allow the British Columbia Forestry and Construction industries to leap ahead showcasing global leadership in technology, design and engineering.  

More information is available in a formal press release from the University of British Columbia. 
Images below courtesy Acton Ostry, Images above UBC.
CLT Tallwood
UBC Wood Skyscraper CLT
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13 Story Residential Timber Building Destined for Quebec

4/3/2015

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Image courtesy of: http://condosorigine.com/
 The newly announced Écocondos de la Pointe-aux-Lièvres, in Quebec Canada have been announced by Origin. The  building will consist of 94 condo units of mid to high end 3 bedroom residential housing. The architect is Yvan Blouin. The structure will be primarily composed of CLT with engineering by WSP + Nordic Structures. 

A video of the project can be found below. Please visit: http://condosorigine.com/ for sales info. 



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UBC Brock Commons - 18 story RECIPROCAL Framed Hex Grid (V3)

8/12/2014

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Wood Tower
18 story reciprocal framed hex grid proposal
TimberTower Assembly
The final development of V3 for the UBC Brock Commons tall wood project pushes the boundaries of timber construction into new and experimental realms. This third exploration ( see V1, and V2) uses a hex grid system combined with reciprocal framing. A system of this nature presents unique challenges in terms of assembly and connection optimization. Reciprocal framing makes use of distributed load paths which can allow for smaller dimensions of the material used. Depending on the final configuration this can result in overall material savings, but more commonly the usage of smaller sizes of materials (yet overall higher volume) which can also result in cost savings. 

A basic dimension of 6 m for the hexagon arm length, or hex radius was used to allow for appropriate room sizes and for the building to fit within the lot sizing allocations. These hex grid panels are broken up into six sections of 6 m equilateral triangles. A reciprocal framed floor breaks this grid down smaller to 3 m equilateral floor panels. This size of floor panel makes the units easy to move and allows for enhanced mass production. This also gives us the option for a variety of manufacturing techniques. The first technique allows massive adaptability, but takes more install time by installing each 3 m equilateral CLT panel individually onto the reciprocal frame. The second involves using the larger 6 m equilateral grid section (comprised of four, 3 m panels). The smaller 3 m CLT panels are prefabricated along with the reciprocal beam grid and services into a larger 6 m equilateral base panel. These large base panels placed on the reciprocal beam grid system are landed in a special six way steel connector which is attached to a glulam (or LVL/ parallam) column. As a third, and likely most cost-effective option floor panels can be produced in regular manufacturing widths and installed in 12 m lengths, reducing overall crane time and manufacturing re-work. 

Due to the nature of the grid, bracing is spread out between a 3 component plane. Depending on the direction of exterior forces they are dispersed as X/Y components into the hex-grid structure. Bracing is placed in key walls arranged within the hex grid. This supplies a unique architectural challenge, yet can still produce a beautiful quality of space. There are specific challenges around the elevator core and how to fit a square unit into a distinct geometric pattern. This would be an area of ongoing analysis. A concrete service core runs up through both towers, also providing stiffness to the structure. Specially attention needs to be paid to differential height changes with moisture content in the vertical members. Although this is minimized by only using end grain there are still tolerances to be implemented. 

One of the key advantages of the reciprocal framing used in this instance is its vibration mitigation effects. The triangular based grid changes the manner in which vibration propagates throughout the structure. This has profound effects on the sound and impact insulation of the floor system. This allows us to use thinner CLT or solid wood panels and reduce the amount of topping materials. 

The structure can be wrapped in a cable stay system for enhanced seismic performance. Along this line of thought we also explored the use of a reciprocal framed shell structure or grid-shell for the facade system. New commercial applications should come out soon in light of enhanced modelling capabilities, see Reciprocal Framing Made Easy (4mb pdf).

This third exploration into the UBC Brock Commons student housing project is highly experimental in nature, and provides new concepts for tall timber projects. These types of approaches further illustrate the adaptability of timber to create limitless possibilities in structural and architectural design. 
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UBC Brock Commons -18 story hybrid concept (V2)

21/11/2014

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Skeletal frame
CCT with glulam columns
Frame with concrete core and CCT
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The development of V2 from the UBC Conceptual Massing, takes a different approach than the CLT based V1. V2 focuses on hybrid construction with timber and concrete as well as taking a balloon framing approach.  This allows the structure to take on a new form architecturally and reach new heights. V2 is 18 stories tall with a stepped terrace layout.

V2 is based on Glulam beams, columns and a central concrete core. Concrete composite timber panels are used as structural flooring members spanning just under 7m. This system allows for an open floor plan that is flexible to many architectural arrangements and works exceptionally well for office spaces. The building is broken into two centres of stiffness with special detailing measures. Additional bracing can be added with steel cross bracing or solid timber panels. This must be compared proportionally to the stiffness of concrete core(s) though. 

This system allows for a repetitive production producing results that are highly adaptable to a variety of design considerations. Modules based on columns run 3 stories tall, dictated by glulam production length. Each module contains:
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  • 4 glulam columns
  • 6 glulam beams
  • 6 TCC panels
  • 48 glulam floor joists
  • façade elements to fit
CCT can be produced offsite or poured in larger slabs onsite. Production onsite will increase time, and bring moisture into the construction environment, but it will also add stiffness to the structure. 

V2 needs special attention between the elevator stiffness core and height variation in the rest of the building due to moisture changes. Vertical glulam columns with no cross grain minimize moisture swelling with regard to height, however there will still be specific solutions to mitigate this. A variety of construction approaches could be taken to a system like this for goal oriented efficiencies or multi-criteria optimization. 

Stay tuned for UBC Brock Commons V3 proposal! Things will only get more interesting. 
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UBC Brock Commons - 11 Story CLT Concept (v1)

19/11/2014

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Initial Render
Exploded Partial Section
Elevator and Staircase Cores
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As explored in our previous post, UBC Conceptual Massing, we have been investigating the development of 3 different timber based construction systems to meet the volumetric requirements for the UBC Brock Commons project.  This simplistic model is based off of V1 in the early massing stage. The model is focused on linear loads and repetitive construction techniques. This system generates a monolithic block specifically designed for ease of construction. 11 stories of CLT hybrid construction are used to produce a robust structural system containing 400 mixed form student housing units.

Elevator and staircase core CLT panels run vertically as opposed to horizontally. The rest of the structure is erected sequentially floor by floor.
Each floor consists of:
  • 45 CLT floor panels segmented with concrete composite sections. 
  • 54 CLT wall & load bearing panels
  • 24 Exterior wall panels 

A CLT system of this nature would need some adjustments to achieve heights of 16-18 stories. The concrete composite floor system aids in regards inter-story shrinkage and fire suppression tactics. 

This type of a design has numerous benefits from a construction point of view. The structure is cut into repetitive modules which can be prefabricated off site. Balloon framing is minimized to the elevator/staircase cores, which makes assembly by crane easier, while allowing for quicker installation times of individual panels. 

As we move on we will develop other concepts relating to our earlier massing concept (V2, V3) which will reach targets of 16-18 stories with different timber hybrid construction methodologies. 

*Check out V2 here!
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UBC BROCK COMMONS 18 STORY, CONCEPTUAL MASSING

15/10/2014

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The University of British Columbia's proposed 18 story, 53m student residence is set to be the tallest heavy timber or heavy timber hybrid building in the world. The building plot has a large rectilinear shape necessitating an adapted design portfolio to meet the building's program with roughly 400 residences.  Conceptual massing was undertaken with rough room sizings to analyze some of the possible form outcomes of such a project. 

V1 - Tilted Monolith          (13 stories)
V2 - Stepped Program     (18 stories)
V3 - Conjoined Towers    (18 stories)

A project of this nature represents unique building challenges for the stiffness of an irregularly shaped structure, as well as coordinating appropriate access and distribution of utilities. A number of timber construction design systems can be used to address these problems, each with their own unique set of benefits and drawbacks. The question is what construction solutions will come out in the winning bid?

A Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) option is easy to implement and fast to construct.
A glulam post and beam system has much better material utilization rates and provides open floor layouts.
A Timber Concrete Composite (TCC) system produces a strong centre of stiffness and robust fire resistance.
A timber outrigger system can provide dramatic architecture and adaptable internal design conditions.

What paths will this project take towards final form? We hope to continue developing ideas on these and similar structures. 

(V1)

(V2)

(V3)

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