Wood advocacy groups release 'lessons learned' report on tall wood buildings

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.

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Shigeru Ban. Photo by Shigeru Ban Architects

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Shigeru Ban receives 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize

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