BC, Canada, Code changes to Boost Highrise Construction 3

[dik]

https://www.constructioncanada.net/...construction/?qnewsletter=20240103&en_click=1

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[ggcdn]

I cant help but feel all the exuberance around mass timber high-rises is premature.

Not my specialty, but from what I understand, its basically the wild west out there with regards to things like connection detailing. Are we setting ourselves up for a Northridge-style lesson to be learned?

 

[dik]

Sustainable material may be a requirement in the future... much more than it is now.

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[WesternJeb]

its basically the wild west out there with regards to things like connection detailing.

Exactly right. There has only been a couple of certified tests, most of which are extremely specific circumstances and not in mass. Everything else is engineering judgement based and everyone is taking a risk.

 

[dik]

BCs the place for it...

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[hokie66]

I didn't see any tree huggers on the 'expert technical advisory group'.

 

[TLHS]

There's been a lot of work on this stuff at UBC and some other local places. My understanding from talking to people is that a lot of the lateral design ends up effectively being steel, composite steel and wood, or concrete. You can do wood braced frames or huge mass shear walls, but you start hitting practicality and connection problems. Concrete cores still make some practical sense for the elevators.

The big stuff is very much still for fancy bragging rights.

People aren't taking full advantage of the shorter heights that we allowed recently, so we don't seem to be at the point where this is a cost saver. The economy of scale isn't there. I'm seeing a lot of prefab wood panelized low rise construction happening now, though, instead of light steel framing or tilt up.

I haven't looked at ductility stuff for these systems, but there's no way they aren't being careful about it. It's not like this is construction methodology getting pulled in from low seismic areas, a bunch of the development on this kind of stuff is BC driven.

 

[TLHS]

A fun overview powerpoint. Post tensioned wood shear walls are a cool concept.

https://www.woodworks.org/wp-conten...man-lateral-design-for-mass-timber-220505.pdf

 

[ChorasDen]

I'm still in the 'wait and see' stage of mass timber construction, but I believe one of the most significant advantages it provides is the speed of construction for these projects. Watch a timelapse of the Brock Commons construction at UBC, it's quite amazing.

 

[TLHS]

Yeah, that style of panelized work is what is getting way more common on low rise stuff now too, here. A bunch of the new schools are using it too, and anything trying to get credits for using renewables.

For interested people:

https://www.thinkwood.com/construction-projects/brock-commons-tallwood-house

Primary lateral is a concrete core.

 

[dik]

My concern with wood highrise is fire... like the Grenfell towers but flammable construction.

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[Brad805]

One problem pushing these is the lack of fabricators. The CNC equipment used for CLT's is not cheap, and the detailing is a big deal. Huge lack of proficient detailers too.