Wood Buildings Archives - Page 3 of 4

This Week in Wood: Are Wooden Skyscrapers Firesafe?

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

As wood grows more popular than ever as a primary material for even the tallest of structures, some people have asked: aren’t these buildings facing increased danger of burning down? It might seem logical that since wood is a combustible material, using it to build tall structures would present a significant safety risk to anyone living or working inside. However, that’s just not the case.

Fire safety is a challenge no matter what materials are used to build a structure. As we’ve noted previously, wood is more fire-resistant than both steel and concrete due to the fact that 15% of its mass is water. And now, with the arrival of ultra-strong cross-laminated timber (CLT), it’s safer than ever.

The question of whether wood construction made a structure more likely to fall victim to a catastrophic fire has prevented many countries from updating their building codes to allow wood structures at ten stories or more in height. But a new wave of interest in super-tall wood buildings has prompted research into the subject.

One fire engineer, Robert Gerard, explained the current conversation about the fire safety of wooden buildings in an interview with Arup Connect.

“One of the first major research projects was an initiative called Timber Frame 2000, out of the UK. The timber industry realized there was a desire to try to build to up to five or six stories using light timber, but the UK building codes limited timber buildings to three stories in height. This prompted a series of tests on a six-story light timber framed building. Results of the tests were used to demonstrate that light timber frame buildings could meet the functional safety requirements that would be required for non-combustible steel or concrete buildings. This motivated changes to the prescriptive code to increase the height limit to six stories for wood buildings.”

“Another major test was recently published by a group called FPInnovations in Canada. They tested CLT panels as walls and floors to demonstrate that the panels have a certain level of fire performance comparable to non-combustible building elements like concrete, for example.”

“The tests showed the walls and floors could be designed for up to three hours of fire resistance, in many cases exceeding the code requirement for structural element fire resistance ratings. As a result, the use of CLT has been adopted into the prescriptive building codes in the US and Canada. The researchers were able to present this information to the code councils and request changes in the building codes based on the demonstrated performance through fire testing.”

Trend Watch: Wood is the Most Advanced Building Material

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

There’s a lot of talk about the building materials of the future, as technology makes all sorts of hybrid and nano-materials (which can be made of wood, too) stronger, cheaper and more accessible than ever. But for all of those advancements, one of the world’s most ancient building materials remains at the top of the list: wood. Popular Science features an in-depth examination of why wood is the most advanced building material of them all – and how it’s going to transform city skylines around the globe.

The biggest step forward is the development of CLT, or cross-laminated timber. This isn’t some kind of plasticized or artificial wood product; it’s simply parallel strips of wood that are placed atop each other perpendicularly and then glued together to create enormous panels with steel-like strength.

CLT is cheaper, easier to assemble and more fire-resistant than steel and concrete. In an age of heightened environmental awareness, it’s also more desirable for the fact that wood is renewable and acts as a carbon sink. The strength of CLT beams make it possible to build wood structures taller than ever before, and many countries are changing their building codes as a result.

Much of the CLT that’s currently produced comes from sustainable forests, and a good percentage is made of beetle-damaged pine. Pine bark beetles are the single biggest threat to pine forests, but CLT ensures that the trees affected by this scourge aren’t lost. That makes it an ideal way to get a practical and lucrative use out of what might otherwise be considered a waste material.

Check out plans for large-scale wood skyscrapers and learn more about the top threats to Eastern White Pine and how these majestic, useful trees can be preserved and protected.

Image via: greenspec

Modern White Pine: Stacked Wood-Clad Boxes with a View

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

Wall surfaces clad in white pine inside and out give this modern residence a clean, streamlined yet cozy and welcoming atmosphere. The Weinfelden House is positioned to the south for optimal views of the mountains in Switzerland and Austrla, designed as a series of stacked boxes that enable upper-level terraces looking out over the valley.

Stacking these volumes so that some areas are cantilevered makes the home seem to float over the sloping landscape, and create a series of voids and open spaces that play with light and shadow. The rectilinear shape provides opportunities for not just one but two wrap-around indoor/outdoor spaces leading to the glass-walled living areas.

Locally grown and processed white pine gives the home an organic appearance despite its sharp angles. Applying the pale pine siding both to the exterior and interior walls provides a sense of continuity, a fresh and simple backdrop set off perfectly with crisp black and white.

Cabin Mansion: Wooden Residential Architecture on a Large Scale

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

If the phrase ‘wooden architecture’ makes you think of modest cabins in the woods, maybe these photos of an incredible wooden mansion will change your perception. Spacious, luxurious and thoroughly modern, ‘Martis Camp House’ by Swaback Partners near Lake Tahoe, California proves that wood can go far outside the box with unexpected applications.

Imagine what this luxury home would look like if it were made of concrete instead of wood. The wood siding gives it a warm and welcoming feel and extra visual interest that complements stone and copper elements to perfection.

The architects characterize this residence as “a home for the high Sierra’s that does not fall in line with the traditional regional architecture that mostly is a dark and heavy composition. Instead, the concept was to celebrate the light and airy feeling of snow and the effects it can bring to the interiors.”

Of course, using wood siding on a modern house of these proportions is far from the only way to incorporate wood into larger-scale architecture. More and more modern buildings are getting a facelift from wood facades, while architects make plans for all-wood skyscrapers.

Trend Watch: All-Wood Additions to Traditional Houses

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

Is your home feeling a tad too small? Maybe the answer isn’t moving into a larger house, but rather adding some extra space. Homeowners are increasingly choosing to expand their homes with additions that don’t necessarily blend in with the architectural style of the main residence. Add-ons made of wood and glass give homes a fresh new look, no matter what the original house looks like – whether it’s a historic brick residence or typical suburban style.

One striking example is the Timber Fin House (pictured top), which was fitted with a wood extension that perfectly complements the existing brick facade. Neil Dusheiko Architects explain that the shape of the extension “is designed to track the sun and create a positive space in the garden.”

A historic brick house on a railway line in Amsterdam got a similar expansion from Zecc Architects, but this one has a lot more glass, functioning almost like a sun room.

A 1950s home in the Netherlands has an entirely new look with its charred timber extension, a sculptural prefabricated volume that hugs the home on two sides and features a dynamic angled roofline.

Maynard Architects gave a contemporary home extra living space and an upper-level deck in one with this creative wood add-on featuring exposed natural wood siding and visible interior rafters.

3 Unique Architectural Projects Highlighting the Beauty of Wood

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

How versatile can lumber be? These three incredible examples of contemporary wooden architecture answer that question in three very different ways, from an unusual take on traditional timber framing techniques to a stack of wooden beams carved into a functional sculpture. Intriguing and totally unexpected, these structures highlight both the powerful natural beauty and the endless possibilities of wood.

Unusual Wood Frame: Archery Hall & Boxing Club, Japan

This archery hall and boxing club in Tokyo by FT Architects takes an unusual approach to exposed wood framing. The client wanted a column-free space comparable in size to the sacred all of a traditional Japanese temple. In order to achieve this span without columns while keeping costs low, the architects investigated some novel structural forms. “Through collaborative exploration with timber experts, researchers, manufacturers and suppliers, we derived timber construction systems that are not commonly associated with structural or architectural usage,” they say. “Small timber sections, normally reserved for furniture making, were chosen for the archery hall, and timber members that were deemed defected because of insect damage, for the boxing club.”

Sculpted Wood: Norwegian Wild Reindeer Center Pavilion

Taking inspiration from the natural, cultural and mythical landscape in which it is set, this stunning pavilion features an organic inner core made of stacked timber that was carved and sanded to make it a massive functional sculpture. Made of pine, it was designed using digital 3D models and milled by Norwegian shipbuilders. The wood was assembled in the traditional way, using only wood pegs as fasteners, and was finished with oil.

Jenga-Like Beams: Final Wooden House by Sou Fujimoto

Potential inhabitants had better be prepared for an entirely new way of living in a home at ‘Final Wooden House,’ which consists of massive stacked beams creating shelves and niches going from the floor to the ceiling. Says the architect, “Lumber is extremely versatile. In ordinary wooden architecture, lumber is effectively differentiated according to functions in various localities precisely because it is so versatile. Columns, beams, foundations, exterior walls, interior walls, ceilings, floorings, insulations, furnishings, stairs, window frames, meaning all. However, I thought if lumber is indeed so versatile then why not create architecture by one rule that fulfills all of these functions.”