Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
theguardian.com
Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
1–10 of 24 posts
Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#2Note 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.
Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#3In Europe you will still find plenty of wood construction roadblocks. Personal experience : in Belgium a wall that is placed on your terrain edge is considered a common wall and cannot be made using wood.
Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#4I just hope they also go with green roofs. They make the microclimate within cities just so much more sustainable.
Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#5Modern 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.
Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#6For someone who are knowledgeable about using wood for large buildings: how does it stack against the weather?
I live a few miles from the largest in Norway[1], and if I recall, it's all exposed. Perhaps some protection is added as of late. However, I also know that using oil-based paint on the cladding increases the risk for rot if water gets trapped inside. How do you need protect exposed wood for centuries to come..
Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#7They 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.
Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#8For someone who are knowledgeable about using wood for large buildings: how does it stack against the weather? I live a few miles from the largest in Norway[1], and if I recall, it's all exposed. Perhaps some protection is added as of late. However, I also know that using oil-based paint on the cladding increases the risk for rot if water gets trapped inside. How do you need protect exposed wood for centuries to come…
As I recall, you got some old wood buildings in Norway already, how are they maintained?
Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#9For someone who are knowledgeable about using wood for large buildings: how does it stack against the weather? I live a few miles from the largest in Norway[1], and if I recall, it's all exposed. Perhaps some protection is added as of late. However, I also know that using oil-based paint on the cladding increases the risk for rot if water gets trapped inside. How do you need protect exposed wood for centuries to come…
Humans have thousands of years experience with wood and weather. Traditional wooden building withstands weather and rot quite well when you take care of the building.
Modern wood materials can be very technical and require less care. I would imagine that the exterior walls are heavily treated. Pressure-treated lumber can be very rot resistant. How resistant depends on how much you add chemicals. Wood can treated so that it's not rotting in direct contact with water and soil if needed. Modern preservatives are have soluble copper in them. Antimicrobial properties of copper are well known. If you pressure treat wood with these preservatives microbes don't rot them.
Re: Canadian cities take wooden skyscrapers to new heights
#10What is the environmental impact of cutting down trees and constructing so many buildings with wood?