The Case for Tall Wood Buildings report released this week validates the use of mass timber products as a viable structural building material option in tall-building construction.
Commissioned by the Canadian Wood Council, the report highlights wood products' ability to offer flexible tower construction, meet building codes and be price competitive with other building material options.
FFTT, a new open design methodology for designing and constructing buildings is introduced in the study. FFTT uses mass timber panels as a primary structural material to achieve building heights of up to 30 stories and open plans that accommodate diverse architectural forms. FFTT also promotes the use of sustainably harvested wood. Mass timber used in FFTT, is said by the report, to provide benefits over traditional light wood frame techniques, including stronger fire, acoustic and structural performance.
"The report describes a new structural system in wood that is the first significant challenger to concrete and steel structures since their inception in tall building design more than a century ago," said Michael Green, principal at Michael Green Architecture and co-author of the report.
The Case for Tall Wood Buildings report can be found at http://www.wecbc.ca/demonstration_projects/portfolio/26.php.
Image taken from The Case for Tall Wood Buildings report
