Use of Mass Timber Products as Structural Building Material

By Joel ScanlonMar 14 2012

In a recent report titled “The Case for Tall Wood Building” it has been established that mass timber products can be used for structural building materials.

The report was initiated by the Canadian Wood Council and focuses on the various abilities of wood in terms of price competitiveness, flexibility in the construction process and adherence to building codes. In order to make wood a more cost effective option as a building material, sustainable harvesting resources are required.

The report also introduces a new methodology named FFTT which is a new design methodology for the design and construction of buildings. As per this technology mass timber panels are used as the basic structural material to reach a height of 30 stories. The methodology also accepts flexible architectural forms as part of the plan. The mass timber used under FFTT provides stronger acoustic, fire and structural performance than regular light wood frames. The methodology also focuses on using sustainable and harvested wood. In recent trends, architects are using wood for low, medium and high rise buildings since it provides various advantages in terms of quality and construction costs. The building codes in North America have also expanded to accommodate wood as a structural material since it can be sourced locally and it can be designed in a flexible manner according different applications. Wood is also the only building material that grows naturally and is renewable.