20 Mass Timber Construction Definition Update

Type iv b maximum 12 stories limited area of exposed mass timber walls and ceilings allowed.

Mass timber construction definition. Mass timber buildings are roughly 25 faster to construct than concrete buildings and require 90 less construction traffic. As technology advances the definition of what constitutes a tall wood building is evolving and rising in height. Since mass timber panels are prefabricated and then assembled on site buildings made from mass timber have much shorter project timelines and safer construction sites. Steel fabricators and concrete suppliers disparage mass timber for taller buildings on the grounds of safety and durability.

Type iv c maximum 9 stories all mass timber permitted to be exposed with a few exceptions e g. Faces resistance from insurers regulators and code officials. But some are questioning whether the logging and manufacturing required to produce the new material outweigh any benefits. Type iv a maximum 18 stories with noncombustible protection on all mass timber elements.

Whereas mass timber is. Mass production of timber for high rise construction is still in its infancy in north america. The biggest mass timber building i was personally intimately involved with was another imported project i did just before landing at katerra which was a five story 200 000 square foot 705 bed dormitory at the university of arkansas in fayetteville. Specifying these products in the u s.

Because mass timber components are fabricated with high levels of precision to ensure a tight fit together with wood s natural insulating properties mass timber construction offers strong thermal performance. Today mass timber products can be formed by mechanically fastening and or bonding with adhesive smaller wood components such as dimension lumber or wood veneers strands or fibres to form large pre fabricated wood. Shafts and designed for a 2 hour fire resistance. Mass timber construction is on the rise with advocates saying it could revolutionize the building industry and be part of a climate change solution.

A building that uses mass timber as an accent and not a primary structural element isn t mass timber. Massive timber products can be utilised in many different building types however given their inhernet strength they are most advantageous in building larger building structures either as the main superstructure material or in combination with other building systems to form hybrid construction methods. Mass timber makes construction cost efficient. Although mass timber is an emerging term traditional post and beam timber frame construction has been around for centuries.