The wood-industry advocacy group reThink Wood has released "Summary Report: Survey of International Tall Wood Buildings." Conducted by Perkins + Will for Forestry Innovation Investment and the Binational Softwood Lumber Council, the free report summarizes stakeholder experiences with 10 built projects in Europe, Australia, and Canada, including commercial, residential, mixed-use, and institutional facilities of five to 10 stories.
In particular, the report stresses characteristics of owners and Building Teams that are necessary for success in building tall with wood, including a high level of initial commitment, planning, collaboration, and holistic innovation.
Stakeholders are usually motivated by a desire for innovation, market leadership, and carbon reduction, with dual objectives of energy efficiency and healthy indoor environments. The existence of supportive government policies was an important factor in the acceptance of mass timber solutions for many of the profiled projects.
The report also acknowledges the need for additional refinements to allow timber to become a common solution for tall buildings. Issues and strategies for technical challenges are discussed, including the topics of structure, lateral stability, fire protection, acoustics + vibration, systems integration, moisture protection, and durability.
Click here for a complete report download.
Related Stories
| Oct 15, 2014
Final touches make 432 Park Avenue tower second tallest in New York City
Concrete has been poured for the final floors of the residential high-rise at 432 Park Avenue in New York City, making it the city’s second-tallest building and the tallest residential tower in the Western Hemisphere.
| Oct 14, 2014
Slash energy consumption in data centers with liquid-based ‘immersive-cooling’ technology
A new technology promises to push the limits of data center energy efficiency by using liquid instead of air to cool the servers.
Sponsored | | Oct 14, 2014
3 color trends drive new commercial exterior color collections
Collectively as a society, we help create color trends, which shape our businesses, recreational facilities, healthcare centers, and civic buildings. These iconic colors are now appearing in Valspar's new color collections. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Oct 14, 2014
Get inspired with the top 10 TED talks about cities
The TED talks, none of which are longer than 20 minutes, feature speakers such as architect Moshe Safdie, Rio de Janeiro Major Eduardo Paes, and animal behaviorist Amanda Burden.
| Oct 14, 2014
Proven 6-step approach to treating historic windows
This course provides step-by-step prescriptive advice to architects, engineers, and contractors on when it makes sense to repair or rehabilitate existing windows, and when they should advise their building owner clients to consider replacement.
| Oct 14, 2014
Richard Meier unveils design for his first tower in Taiwan
Taiwan will soon have its first Richard Meier building, a 535-foot apartment tower in Taichung City, the country’s third-largest city.
| Oct 13, 2014
The mindful workplace: How employees can manage stress at the office
I have spent the last several months writing about healthy workplaces. My research lately has focused on stress—how we get stressed and ways to manage it through meditation and other mindful practices, writes HOK's Leigh Stringer.
| Oct 13, 2014
Debunking the 5 myths of health data and sustainable design
The path to more extensive use of health data in green building is blocked by certain myths that have to be debunked before such data can be successfully incorporated into the project delivery process.
Sponsored | | Oct 13, 2014
The problem with being a customer-centric organization
Kristof De Wulf, CEO of InSites Consulting, argues that the effects of customer-centricity typically don’t endure, leading only to temporary improvements in company performance. SPONSORED CONTENT
Sponsored | | Oct 13, 2014
CLT, glulam deliver strength, low profile, and aesthetics for B.C. office building
When he set out to design his company’s new headquarters building on Lakeshore Road in scenic Kelowna, B.C., Tim McLennan of Faction Projects knew quickly that cross-laminated timber was an ideal material.