Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/331457
the more cost-effective the project will be. For example, he explains, it is diffi- cult and time-consuming to flip a large, cross-laminated timber panel while it is being machined for connections. If the connections are designed so they can be machined from one side only, manu- facturing speed improves, and that is reflected in the cost. Downing notes that the company provides a complete package, which includes wood members and steel con- nections. "It is important to keep the wood-to-steel connections and hard- ware within our scope," he continues, "and we work with a specialty engineer to design the connections. We take responsibility for the connections and will oversee the fabrication and test-fit to ensure quality and fit." Structurlam Products was one of the first heavy timber manufacturers to link CAD files to CNC robotic technol- ogy, Downing notes. Today, the company uses 3D modelling for all of its projects, and the design files are downloaded directly to the CNC for machining. This allows Glulams and CLTs to be machined to within a few millimetres of accuracy, which ensures that the wood members will fit on site. This increases predict- ability and reduces the cost of installa- tion, and it also allows the company to machine the wood member to accept very complex, and often hidden, connec- tions. "As a result," Downing says, "we have delivered some of the most com- plex and beautiful wooden structures in the world, that fully achieves the design the architect envisioned." Structurlam Products is located in Penticton, B.C. The company uses interior-grown Douglas fir of the high- est quality for its Glulam beams, which provides an unbeatable combination of strength and beauty, Downing says. For its cross-laminated timber panels, the company uses number two and better spruce-pine-fir two-by-sixes to about 14 per cent moisture content. Nor th American manufact uring standards for CLT's allow for the use of number three-rated wood, but Structur- lam won't use it, Downing states. "We e-rate every board to confirm strength, and re-plane the material on all four sides to ensure accuracy and structural predictability." Structurlam's CrossLam panels are manufactured to a product standard ( PRG-320) developed jointly in the U.S. and Canada, and certified by the APA- Engineered Wood Society. PRG-320 is an onerous standard, he continues, so any- one buying these panels can be confident of their quality. There are structural, environmental and esthetic benefits to using CrossLam panels, Downing adds, but the main benefit is speed of instal- lation, because the panels arrive on-site prefabricated and ready to install. "We have examples of four truck- loads of panels being installed in one day," Downing says. "This has a posi- tive impact on scheduling, and results in serious cost savings over other plate material." Looking Ahead The future is already here, as can be seen in B.C. with the new Wood Innova- tion and Design Centre in Prince George under construction, which will be the tallest contemporary wood structure in North America when completed this fall. T he bu i ld i ng i ncor por at e s a structural system that uses wood products manufactured and engineered in B.C. Except for the concrete foun- dation, the slab for the mechanical penthouse and the glazing, only wood materials are used. "We are seeing innovation beyond anything we could have imagined a decade ago with both structural and architectural uses of wood," explains Ly nn Embur y-Williams, Execut ive Director, Wood WORKS! BC. "With technological advances in wood prod- ucts and building systems, designers and builders are recognizing wood as a building material that offers them opportunities to create distinctive and expressive projects because of its remarkable versatility, flexibility and cost-effectiveness." ■ 32/ junE 2014 Engineered Wood Products Structurecraft Builders.indd 1 14-05-15 4:07 PM p.28-33Engineered.indd 32 14-06-03 9:44 AM