Canadian Wood Council publishes Case Study on UBC’s Tallwood House
July 31, 2018
Currently lauded as the world’s tallest mass timber building, UBC’s Tallwood House continues to be showcased as an example of leading-edge engineered wood technology, sustainable design and rapid fabrication.
Designed as a kit-of-parts, the 53m hybrid mass timber building is comprised of 17 storeys of five-ply cross-laminated timber floor panels, a concrete transfer slab on level two, and a steel framed roof. The cross-laminated timber panels were point-supported by glue-laminated timber columns, all resting on the concrete transfer slab, while two full-height concrete cores provided lateral stability. By utilizing the two-way spanning capabilities of cross-laminated timber, we were able to eliminate the beams of a classic post-and-beam system (along with labour-intensive connections), dramatically reducing costs and the time needed for fabrication and erection.
In the Canadian Wood Council Case Study, “The Advent of Tallwood Structures in Canada,” the Canadian Wood Council notes that “the opportunity for new, larger and taller wood buildings is now being recognized as a viable option in Canada by the design and building community, and made possible by the evolution of wood products and building systems.”