Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/137453
The City of North Vancouver Civic Centre renovation: a showcase for wood innovation. Courtesy CNW Group/Canadian Wood Council for Wood WORKS! BC. in the pursuit of taller wood buildings is the introduction of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) panels to the North American market. "These panels have excellent strength and dimensional stability," he adds. "They can replace concrete slabs. Along with the environmental benefits, wood CLT panels have the advantage of pre-fabrication in the factory, allowing for rapid installation." StructureCraft Builders Inc. manufactures several EWPs for incorporation into its custom design-build architectural exposed timber buildings and footbridges. Brian Woudstra, StructureCraft's business development engineer, notes that "nail-laminated timber (NLT) is enjoying a significant resurgence to replace concrete with solid wood slabs. Over the past 10 years exposed heavy timber post-and-beam structures are being considered for medium and high-rise buildings." In addition to NLT, the firm manufactures customengineered wood panel products such as WoodWave and Mechanically-Fastened Cross Laminated Timber (MF-CLT). Utilizing these EWPs brings many benefits: carbon dioxide is sequestered, GHGs are avoided and building weight is reduced. "Massive wood construction costs are becoming very comparable to concrete and steel", says Woudstra. "We can go taller with wood buildings because of EWPs." According to Andy Teasell, Weyerhaeuser Canadian Division Engineer, wood framing is an increasingly Engineered Wood Products Nordic Engineered Wood.indd 1 p26-29Engineered Wood.indd 29 popular option for sixstorey structures. "This is thanks to its sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and esthetics," he says. "To address the large forces associated with taller buildings, engineers and architects rely on the high-strength values of engineered products like laminated strand lumber (LSL) and parallel strand lumber (PSL) that offer a combination of strength and stability. "LSL panels are ideal in load-bearing wall and roof applications," he adds. "PSL is ideal for continuous long-length load-bearing columns or in a girder, beam and purlin structural system." Teasell notes that I-joists and Weyerhaeuser's Trus Joist TimberStrand LSL beams were key to creating the six-storey wood-over-suspended-slab structure at the Sail apartment complex on the University of British Columbia campus. "This helped engineers meet a moisture requirement of less than 12 per cent for the first four storeys," he says. Many architects and builders seek EWPs from Goodfellow Inc. "Studs serve as a consistent, dimensionally-stable option for zone-framing applications and tall walls," says Matt Stockton, Goodfellow's Ontario Product Manager for EWP. "As the trend toward prominent entryways, higher ceilings and vast rooms continues, engineered solutions such as Weyerhaeuser's Trus Joist TimberStrand LSL allow for tall walls beyond 18-feet high with more flexibility, greater stability, less waste,and more insulation space compared to built-up studs." He adds that TimberStrand's dimensional stability makes it an "ideal option for zone framing in areas where a straight and true wall is particularly needed – such as behind upscale kitchen countertops or intricate bathroom tilework." Stockton notes that EWPs reduce wood waste and that its pre-cut and pre-packaged LSL framing "further eliminates waste while saving installation time on the jobsite." He adds that products such as TimberStrand LSL can also be used for a range of applications including rim board, headers, beams, columns, wall framing, sill plates and stair stringers. n june 2013 /29 13-05-10 2:48 PM 13-05-30 2:02 PM