FPInnovations conducted a research project to study the construction of mid-rise wood exit shafts in Ontario and Québec. The scope of the project included an investigation into the concerns that have been raised in regards to the use of wood exits in mid-rise buildings, an analysis of recent Canadian fire statistics in residential multi-family structures, and a fire demonstration of a mass timber wall and supported light-frame floor. This report describes the fire demonstration completed as part of this project; this report acts as a supplement to the full project report.
Project contact is Angelique Pilon at the University of British Columbia
Summary
The pilot uses whole-building life cycle assessments (WBLCA) to identify major contributors to embodied carbon impacts. More importantly, the project conducts a critical analysis of the procedural requirements, information gaps, systemic barriers and other challenges for project teams seeking to use LCA as an effective tool in reducing their environmental impacts. The second phase of the Embodied Carbon Pilot project builds on the experiences and learning of Phase 1 while addressing a more common and replicable building typology. The first year, we used mass timber buildings at the University of British Columbia for the pilot LCAs and developed a protocol/strategy for adapting project information into the appropriate bill-of-materials (BOM) format for input into LCA tools, while identifying procedural challenges and barriers and variations of different material take-off methodologies and LCA tools. This second year, we will target mid-rise, multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs), a common and growing building type throughout British Columbia. Mid-rise MURBS are between 4 and 8 stories and typically use wood as one of the primary construction materials: stick-frame construction for projects under 6-stories or an increasing number of mass timber projects.
This paper begins with an overview of the state of the art in the design of multi-story mass timber structures and their lateral systems in low to moderate seismic regions. Boston, MA has been chosen as the location for a feasibility analysis of 8-, 12-, and 18- story mass timber structures. These building prototypes are used to compare the structural and environmental efficiencies and tradeoffs of replacing conventional concrete cores with mass timber braced frames and steel-timber hybrid frames. The lateral resistance of prototype configurations is evaluated through numerical analyses to understand in more detail the characteristics of an efficient mass timber lateral system. Finding an optimal timber gravity system configuration is followed by examining lateral resistance of the prototypes. The resulting designs demonstrate a practical approach to assist designers in selecting a lateral system during the early stages of conceptual design. This research was conducted in parallel with a related study for implementation of mass timber in affordable housing in Boston, enabling a comparison between composite systems and all-timber structures.
Guide for Designing Energy-Efficient Building Enclosures for Wood-Frame Multi-Unit Residential Buildings in Marine to Cold Climate Zones in North America
The Guide for Designing Energy-Efficient Building Enclosures for Wood-Frame Multi-Unit Residential Buildings in Marine to Cold Climate Zones in North America was developed by FPInnovations in collaboration with RDH Building Engineering Ltd., the Homeowner Protection Office, Branch of BC Housing, and the Canadian Wood Council.
The project is part of efforts within the Advanced Building Systems Program of FPInnovations to assemble and add to the knowledge base regarding Canadian wood products and building systems. The team of the Advanced Building Systems Program works with members and partners of FPInnovations to address critical technical issues that threaten existing markets for wood products or which limit expansion or access to such new markets. This guide was developed in response to the rapidly changing energy-efficiency requirements for buildings across Canada and the United States.
This guide serves two major objectives:
To assist architects, engineers, designers and builders in improving the thermal performance of building enclosures of wood multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs), in response to the increasingly stringent requirements for the energy efficiency of buildings in the marine to cold climate zones in North America (U.S. DOE/ASHRAE and NECB Climate Zones 5 through 7 and parts of Zone 4);
To advance MURB design practices, construction practices, and material use based on best knowledge, in order to ensure the durable performance of wood-frame building enclosures that are insulated to higher levels than traditional wood-frame construction.
The major requirements for thermal performance of building enclosures are summarized (up to February 2013), including those for the following codes and standards:
2011 National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (2011 NECB);
2013 interim update of the 2010 National Building Code of Canada (2010 NBC, Section 9.36–Energy Efficiency);
2012 International Energy Conservation Code (2012 IECC);
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1– Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings (2004, 2007, and 2010 versions).
In addition to meeting the requirements of the various building codes and standards, a building may need to incorporate construction practices that reflect local preferences in material use, design and construction.
Regional climate differences will also affect design solutions.
This guide primarily addresses above-grade walls, below-grade walls and roofs of platform wood-frame construction. It also includes information regarding thermal performance of cross-laminated timber (CLT) assemblies as well as the use of non-bearing wood-frame exterior walls (infill walls) in wood post-and-beam and concrete structures.
Examples of thermal resistance calculations, building assemblies, critical interface detailing, and appropriate material selection are provided to help guide designers and builders meet the requirements of the various energy-efficiency codes and standards, achieve above-code performance, and ensure long-term durability. This guide builds on the fundamentals of building science and on information contained within the Building Enclosure Design Guide: Wood-Frame Multi-Unit Residential Buildings, published by the Homeowner Protection Office, Branch of BC Housing.
This guide is based on the best current knowledge and future updates are anticipated. The guide is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice that considers specific building parameters.
This paper reflects on the structural design of Haut; a 21-storey high-end residential development in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Construction started in 2019 and is in progress at the time of writing. Upon completion in 2021, Haut will be the first residential building in the Netherlands to achieve a 'BREEAM-outstanding' classification. The building will reach a height of 73 m, making it the highest timber structure in the Netherlands. It contains some 14.500 of predominantly residential functions. It features a hybrid concrete-timber stability system and concrete-timber floor panels. This paper describes the concepts behind the structural design for Haut and will touch upon the main challenges that have arisen from the specific combination of characteristics of the project. The paper describes the design of the stability system and -floor system, the analysis of differential movements between concrete and timber structures and wind vibrations. The paper aims to show how the design team has met these specific challenges by implementing a holistic design approach and integrating market knowledge at an early stage of the design.
Report Summary: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Two Multistory Residential Buildings: Cross-Laminated Timber vs. Concrete Slab and Column with Light Gauge Steel Walls
This short report summarizes a life cycle assessment (LCA) study comparing a cross-laminated timber mid-rise building to the same building in concrete1. For more detail, refer to the original report which was the product of a rigorous, comparative LCA research project that complied with the international LCA standard ISO 14040:2006. In that study an apartment building in Quebec City, Canada was analyzed using two different building systems in order to understand the environmental footprint of each relative to the other. A LCA model was developed for a real, 4060 m2, 4-storey, cross-laminated timber (CLT) apartment building. The same building was then designed using reinforced concrete slabs and columns with light gauge steel stud walls. That design was intended as a building system that CLT would likely be compared with in the midrise construction market where CLT is likely to compete.
Report Summary: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Two Multistory Residential Buildings: Cross-Laminated Timber vs. Concrete Slab and Column with Light Gauge Steel Walls
This short report summarizes a life cycle assessment (LCA) study comparing a cross-laminated timber mid-rise building to the same building in concrete1. For more detail, refer to the original report which was the product of a rigorous, comparative LCA research project that complied with the international LCA standard ISO 14040:2006. In that study an apartment building in Quebec City, Canada was analyzed using two different building systems in order to understand the environmental footprint of each relative to the other. A LCA model was developed for a real, 4060 m2, 4-storey, cross-laminated timber (CLT) apartment building. The same building was then designed using reinforced concrete slabs and columns with light gauge steel stud walls. That design was intended as a building system that CLT would likely be compared with in the midrise construction market where CLT is likely to compete.
