Contact:Lech Muszynski, Oregon State University (United States)
Summary
The City of Springfield, Oregon hired SRG Partnership to design a CLT parking structure slated to be built in a new redevelopment zone on the Willamette River. The concept started as an academic exercise in a University of Oregon architectural design studio course led by Professor Judith Sheine. Mayor Christine Lundberg saw an opportunity to connect Springfield’s historic roots in the timber industry to the burgeoning new mass timber sector, and the project became a reality. Before the structure is built, important technical questions must be addressed concerning how to protect the timber elements against the Pacific Northwest weather and long-term dynamic loading from vehicles. A technical team from OSU’s Department of Wood Science and Engineering and School of Civil and Construction Engineering are narrowing down combinations of materials for testing. Proposed solutions include an asphalt topping on the CLT decking, similar to those often used on timber bridge decks. Stress tests will be conducted, simulating forces from vehicles turning, starting and stopping and backing up. Simulated weather testing will also be conducted in OSU’s multi-chamber modular environmental conditioning chamber. The Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory at University of Oregon has conducted wind-driven rain studies to inform SRG’s design of the roof and exterior screening elements.