They glossed over the “wood is viewed as fire prone” thing and I can’t find the article posted to HN a few months back which discusses it further. The gist was wood protects itself with an insulating layer of charcoal as it starts to burn, and it maintains its strength when heated much better than steel, which starts to bend and cause a cascade failure.
Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
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Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#12What is the environmental impact of cutting down trees and constructing so many buildings with wood?
As long as the forests are replanted, likely benifit is carbon sequestration. We should avoid logging old-growth forests since they provide ideal habitats to deer and other animals. But logging second growth forests can be environmentally sustainable.
Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#13I wonder if we could genetically modify the trees to be more construction friendly.
It would be neat if you could plant a seed and it would automatically grow into a house.
Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#14Anybody knows what the sound insulation are like in these?
Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#15What is the environmental impact of cutting down trees and constructing so many buildings with wood?
It captures the carbon and lets new trees be planted where the old were. This sequestration is a small win for the climate, and a huge net positive compared to building with steel and concrete.
Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#16What is the environmental impact of cutting down trees and constructing so many buildings with wood?
Surely much lesser and more sustainable than concrete and steel?
Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#17Modern glulam (glued laminated timber) and cross-laminated timber beams are really good. Formaldehyde emissions are under control. Fire resistance is surprisingly good. Economical and less energy needed for manufacturing.
Plus it sequesters carbon
Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#18Note that the Brock Commons mentioned in the article is a bit of a hybrid as the structural core is a pair of concrete stairwells. Norway's Mjøstårnet however (which took the palm from Brock) is structurally fully wooden, concrete is only used as stabiliser for the upper stories (inbetween the upper 7 stories to limit swaying), it's not load-bearing.
Are you sure this is the structural core and not simply how they built the fire exit and satisfied the municipality that the material for this fire exit is non combustible? I doubt this is structural.
Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#19Anybody knows what the sound insulation are like in these?
Architects usually specify to include a sound dampening material on each floor.
Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#20How does this handle pests, like termites?