Steel-timber composite system proposed for mid- and high-rise buildings

A new report and a video presentation support the concept of a steel and timber composite system for mid- and high-rise buildings.

The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) recently released the report which proposes a system consisting of structural steel columns and beams that support a Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) floor system, creating a flat soffit condition. AISC and SOM partnered to study the combination of steel and CLT with an eye toward residential construction.

“AISC and SOM’s study successfully shows that the comparative steel-timber composite construction system could also be competitive in the high-rise residential market,” according to a news release. The steel and timber framing system builds on SOM’s Timber Tower Research Project that studied timber-concrete composite construction for a hypothetical high-rise building.

The report, “AISC Steel and Timber Research for High Rise Residential Buildings - Final Report,” and a video presentation by Benton Johnson, PE, SE, LEED Green Associate, senior structural engineer at SOM, titled, “Your Next Project Considering Steel & Timber Research for Residential Buildings,” are available for free at www.aisc.org/timberresearch.