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Ikea-Style Wooden Skyscrapers Are Popping Up Worldwide Thanks To "Mass Timber"

posted by hubie on Wednesday October 23, @11:01AM   Printer-friendly
from the people-in-wood-skyscrapers-shouldn't-throw-woodpeckers dept.

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

A report by Knowable Magazine provides a rather insightful glimpse into the rise of mass timber and its benefits. The technique basically uses massive engineered wood elements instead of concrete and steel to build higher than ever before. As of 2024, mass timber buildings have climbed to almost unbelievable heights, with the 25-story Ascent tower in Milwaukee leading the pack.

The building is far from the only one in the category. The report states that there were 84 completed or under-construction mass timber buildings of eight stories or higher worldwide by 2022, with another 55 proposed. Europe dominates with 70% of these, but North America is catching up with around 20%.

As for what's driving this wooden renaissance, there are multiple reasons. For starters, mass timber could be an answer for reducing concrete and steel's massive carbon footprint, which alone makes up a whopping 15% of global emissions.

[...] But what about issues like raw strength and fire resistance, which have historically held wooden buildings back? Well, mass timber uses elements like cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels that can match steel's strength pound-for-pound, thanks to layering and high-pressure gluing techniques.

Modern mass timber also passes rigorous fire testing. In the event of a fire, a protective char layer forms on the wood's surface, insulating the interior from flames long enough for evacuation and firefighter response.

Likely taking these perks into account, a 2021 update to the International Building Code gave mass timber a huge vote of confidence, allowing such constructions up to 18 stories in many places.

Of course, moisture poses risks that need careful management to prevent fungus and pests. But proponents are confident mass timber can be a sustainable solution if done right.

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  • (Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Wednesday October 23, @12:39PM (3 children)

    by PiMuNu (3823) on Wednesday October 23, @12:39PM (#1378280)

    An FA:

    "An official report into the collapse of a 10-year-old mass-timber bridge in Norway in August 2022 has criticised the structure's design and construction.

    Two drivers had to be rescued after the Tretten Bridge, over the Gudbrandsdalslågen river in the Øyer area of southern Norway, gave way as a heavy goods vehicle was crossing."

    https://www.dezeen.com/2024/04/11/tretten-bridge-collapse-norway-timber/ [dezeen.com]

    I recall seeing a great youtube video (if you can cope with the tubes) on analysis of the failure, but I can't find it now...

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  • (Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Wednesday October 23, @01:52PM (2 children)

    by PiMuNu (3823) on Wednesday October 23, @01:52PM (#1378291)

    ps: TL;DR - the reason for the bridge failure was that the wood was only assessed for dry strength and had a RUD when it got wet.

    • (Score: 1) by pTamok on Wednesday October 23, @04:35PM (1 child)

      by pTamok (3042) on Wednesday October 23, @04:35PM (#1378314)

      Was it?

      I thought that the issue was that some critical load-bearing joints that were metal pins through holes made in the engineered wood (glulam) were not sized correctly for the stress. I think it ripped apart in fatigue/overload.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tretten_Bridge [wikipedia.org]

      The Wikipedia article could be wrong, incomplete, or out of date, though.

      A linked article in the Wikipedia entry describing the results of a preliminary report issued in December 2022 states:

      ...the technical studies have shown that a break in one of the timber diagonals in the main span towards the western abutment led to the collapse. This was caused by a block shear failure at the timber and steel connection, one of several across the 150m-long bridge, causing overloading of other elements in the truss upon subsequent loading and the eventual collapes. The theory is supported both by technical examinations of fractured elements, photographic material and eye witness observations, as well as structural analysis and calculations.

      The NSIA has suggested that the capacity of the diagonal connections was half of what it should have been as per the country's current regulations for the design of wooden structures.

      Now there might have been another report issued, but I've not seen it.

      Update. Not sure if the new report adds anything. The linked pages have videos, but the text is Norwegian. Machine translation is your friend.

      First report - Issued in 2023 [havarikommisjonen.no]
      Second Report - Issued in 2024 [havarikommisjonen.no]