This paper presents an experimental study on three types of balloon-framed cross-laminated timber (CLT) shear wall configurations: (a) a single wall, (b) a coupled wall with a half-lap joint between wall piers, and (c) a coupled wall with steel link beams between wall piers. Three-storey, 2/3-scale CLT wall specimens were cyclically tested to failure and the results are presented to compare the performance between wall types. All specimens used 5-ply, 205 mm thick CLT wall panels with the same base connections of mixed-angle screw hold-downs and notched shear keys. The beam-coupled wall achieved a peak strength of 592kN and demonstrated the best performance among the wall configurations with the highest strength, stiffness, energy dissipation, and least amount of degradation underrepeated load cycles. All the wall specimen exhibited ductile failure modes and demonstrated their feasibility to be designed for lateral load resisting systems in buildings.
