February 2020 – A note from Moses Structural Engineers:
Forests Ontario recently had a campaign to remind us of the importance of forestry to the environment and to our rural communities. “It Takes a Forest” illustrates the forest sector’s role in sustainable management of our woodlands. Forestry connects with areas of our daily lives in many ways. Historically, lumber, paper and furniture have been the most common products derived from our forests. Now we can add mass timber to this list, the modern, 21st century building material.
Mass timber products come in many forms and are characterized as large format timbers manufactured from much smaller parts using sustainably harvested lumber. For example, 10-foot by 40-foot (3 m x 12 m) panels for walls and floors are quite common. These panels can be used to build tall buildings, often thought of as a ‘Lego set’ of engineered timber components assembled to construct new office or residential buildings with higher quality control and efficiency than conventional construction.
Mass timber products are an emerging technology with new developments arriving every day. The products unlock potential for creative new ways of building. And many options exist. If you are finding it difficult to navigate the choices, you are not alone! Because these are relatively new products, building codes and product standards and evolving and standardization of the products and systems from different suppliers is yet to come. This has resulted in a situation where every new tall mass timber building requires considerable creativity and design effort – though well worth the effort! Different layouts, products and connections need to be considered to find the best solution for each of our clients and sites while still meeting the engineering requirements for gravity, wind and earthquake resistance in tall buildings.
How do you cut through this complexity? Call us. Moses Structural Engineers have the mass timber building expertise you need to navigate the options and develop efficient solutions to your mass-timber tall building needs. It’s a creative process and we’ll be there to guide you all the way.
Mass timber may start with a forest, but successful mass timber buildings come from assembling design teams with the experience to help you deliver the vision of your project.
Moses Structural Engineers and Forests Ontario in Timmins, Ontario – connecting our southern Ontario colleagues with our friends in forestry and manufacturing in Northern Ontario.
Click here for more on our Northern Ontario Forests tour
