Project contact is Jacob McCann at KPFF (United States)
Summary
As interest has grown in using mass timber for commercial building projects, so too has the need to better understand the vibration characteristics of mass timber floor systems. Vibration requirements typically drive the spans and thicknesses of mass timber floors. Our team has a unique opportunity to close several crucial knowledge gaps while designing the new Health Sciences Education Building (HSEB) at the University of Washington, which is under design and is scheduled to start construction in the summer of 2019.
Case Study for Design Guide – The HSEB will be designed using the U.S. Mass Timber Floor Vibration Design Guide. Vibration performance will be measured to further validate or refine the model calibration suggestions put forth in the Design Guide.
Damping Measurements – The HSEB will contain a wide variety of program spaces with varying damping characteristics that will be measured and correlated.
Stiffness Measurements – Laboratory and in situ testing will be performed on a several floor framing systems. This will include a variety of span lengths and member depths. It will also include composite behavior of concrete and CLT floors with different connection types.
The results of this study will allow for more accurate predictions of floor vibrations. This will significantly reduce the cost of mass timber systems in way that is repeatable and scalable for future architects and engineers.