LEMN General

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22.2.2014 McGraw-Hill Construction - Continuing Education Center

http://continuingeducation.construction.com/article_print.php?L=312&C=931

Continuin g Education

Use the following learn ing objectiv es to

focus your study wh ile reading this

m onths Continu ing Education ar ticle.

Learnin g Objectiv es- After r eading

this article, y ou w ill be able to:

1 . Com pare the mat erial, project and

env ironm enta l costs of wood to

other building m aterials.

2. Explain innov ativ e wood

technologies and how th ey are

contr ibuting to a w ide ran ge of

sustaina ble designs.

3 . Discuss the env ironmenta l im pact

of w ood thr ough out its life cy cle,

including its renewa bility ,

certification options, impa cts on

energy efficiency , low ca rbon

footprint, an d end-of-life recy cling

and r euse.4. Exam ine research an d exam ples

dem onstra ting th e positiv e impact

of exposed wood on a bu ilding s

occupants.

Rethinking Wood as a Material of Choice

Costs less, delivers more

September 2012

Sponsored by reT hink Wood

Layne Evans

Design ers today ar e finding n ew possibilities in one of the oldest

building m at er ia ls on earth. Wood has alway s been v alu ed for its

beauty , abunda nce a nd pract ical ity , but m an y of wood's inherent

char acteristics are r ising t o v ery curr ent cha llenges. Wood's

traditional values and newest technologies meet in the projects

presented in th is cour se, illustr atin g th e adv ant ages of wood in four

ar eas: cost-effectiv eness in a wide ra nge of projects; adaptability for

use in challenging, v isionary new designs; lower env ironm ental

costs thr oug hout its life cy cle, from its source in renew able,

carefully ma naged forests, t hrough an energy -efficient serv ice life,

and often on to a new, recy cled and reimagined use; and a u niquehum an-nature connection that h as alway s been intuitiv e, but is

now being documented in research.

Cost Conscious

As a m at er ia l g rown th roug hout Nor th Am erica, wood can be locally

sourced and is usually less expensiv e tha n a lternativ e building

m ater ials (see Cost Calcula tor box on th e next pa ge). Wood building

system s also ty pically cost less to install w hen construct ion is view ed

as a wh ole, for a n um ber of reasons. Wood is readily a v ailable an d

tends to be deliv ered quickly , and m ost comm unities hav e a lar ge

pool of qualified tra despeople with wood fram ing experience, w hich

m inim izes constru ction delay s and keeps labor costs com petitiv e.Wood's ada ptability an d ease of use also tran slate in to faster

constr uct ion schedules, wh ile a sm aller foundation ma y be needed

becau se of its lig ht weig ht.

For th e Carroll Smith Elem enta ry School in Osceola, Ar kansas,

wood's ligh t weig ht indir ect ly led to sav ings. Th e pr oject was

originall y designed in concr ete block. Th is would hav e requir ed expensiv e piers to address soft soil conditions. The

project team also looked at using steel constru ction elements, w hich wer e found to concent rat e the load in

un acceptably small ar eas. Ultim ately , the project team selected wood thus reducing both t he need for piers and the

cost of the struc tur al sy stem. A ccording to Ferr an Espin of PKM Ar chit ects, lead designer for t he project, using w ood

for t he wa lls, floor and roof deck sav ed approxim ately $10 per squar e foot com pared to a steel struct ur e with ligh t

metal gau ge fram ing. John War riner of John Warriner and Associates, also part of the arch itectu ra l team , said wood

was the na tur al choice for t his project giv en its economic v alue an ddesign flexibility . Designin g th e building usingwoodallowed the team t o m eet all of the project requir ement s in th e most financia lly responsible wa y .
http://construction.com/CE/http://construction.com/CE/http://construction.com/CE/http://construction.com/CE/


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http://continuingeducation.construction.com/article_print.php?L=312&C=931 2

Cath edral of Chr ist The Light , Oakland, CA. Design arch itect: Skidmore, Owings &

Merrill.

Photo by Timothy Hursley

In addition to mat erial c osts, an agg ressiv e constru ction schedule w as one of th e ma in driv ers for t he ch oice of wood

in Emory Point, a mixed-use project near Emory University in Atlan ta, Georgia. Designed by Cooper Carry and The

Preston Par tner ship, the 4 42 -unit project includes one fiv e-story wood-fram e building over slab-on-grade and th reefour -story wood-fram e building s ov er one-story concr ete podium s. According to Brad Ellin wood, PE, of Ellinwood +

Machado Consult ing Str uct ur al Engin eers, a num ber of sy stems were considered but w ood was by far t he m ost

economical. For the stru ctu ra l fram e port ion only , th e wood design cost approxima tely $14 /squa re foot com pared to

$22/squar e foot for a 7 -inch post-tensioned concrete slab and fra m e. Despite th e need for significan t site prepar ation,

wood's ease of use allowed the entir e pr oject to be com pleted in ju st ov er a y ear.


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Env ironmental r ecognition with local gr een building program s was a plus for t he

Marselle Condom inium s in Seatt le, WA, designed by PB Ar chitect s, but cost w as the

driv ing factor in th e decision t o use wood constru ction.

Photo by Matt Todd, cour tesy of WoodWorks

COST CA LCULATOR

A c ost ca lcula tor is nowav ailable to dem onstr ate w oods

cost adv ant age. Users sim ply

select a building t y pe and U.S.

av erage or state/city , and the

calculator draws on cur rent

constru ction cost dat a to prov ide

a compar ison of wood and non-

wood m ateria ls (a ggr egate of

steel an d concr ete) for t he shell

or w hole building. Eac h

calcu lation is accom panied by

gra phs showing c ost index and

price va riation of mat erials todemonstrate performance over

time.

Sour ce: ww w. woodworks.org

Often, ev en w hen w ood is chosen t o meet other goals, cost is still t he deciding factor. For t he Marselle Condom inium

project in Seattle, Washingt on (see the case stu dy1at th e end of this ar ticle), w ood constru ction helped the building

meet requirements of the local Master Builders Association Built Green program. But while the environmental

recognition wa s an added benefit, th e developer considered the decision t o use wood fram ing pu rely financia l. If the

project had been built u sing all concrete, for instan ce, it would hav e cost about 3 0 percent m ore, according to Kory

Knudson, v ice president of Norcon, NW, Inc. If we ha d built th e entire project out of steel, it w ould hav e taken m uch


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longer an d we would hav e had to make many energy modifications.

Innova ti ve Uses for a Tr adit ional Building Material

Building c odes recognize wood's str uct ur al perform ance ca pabilities in a broad ra nge of applicationsfrom t he lig ht-

duty repetitive fram ing comm on in small structu res to the larg er and heav ier framing sy stems used to build arenas

schools and other large buildings. Howev er, a round the w orld, ar chitects and structur al engineers are extending t he

boun dar ies of w ood desig n, while in nov ativ e tech nologies an d bu ilding sy stems continu e to expan d opport uni ties for

wood use in constr uct ion. It's a sy m biotic rela tionship t hat has also infl uenced the ev olution of bu ilding codes and

standards.

For exam ple, th e Cathedral of Christ The Light in Oakland, California, is an extraordinary timber ca thedral designed

to last 3 00 y ears using a un ique str uct ur al sy stem. Designed by Skidm ore, Owin gs and Merrill LLP (SOM), th e

soaring 36 ,000-square-foot, 1 ,500-seat struct ure r eplaces another cathedral destroy ed during a 1 989 earthquake.

Arch itect ural ly stu nning, the new building featu res a space-fr am e struct ure com prised of a glu la m an d steel-r od

skeleton v eiled with a glass skin. Giv en th e close proxim ity of fault lines and non-conforma nce of the design t o a

standar d California Building Code latera l sy stem, th e City of Oakland hir ed a peer rev iew com m ittee to rev iew SOM's

design for tough ness and ductilit y . Thr ough th e use of adv anced seism ic engineering , inclu ding base isolation, th e

structur e has been designed to withstand a 1 ,000-year earthqua ke. Engineers were able to achiev e the appropriate

structur al strength an d toughn ess by carefully defining ductility r equirem ents for th e stru cture, u sing th ree-

dimensional comput er models th at simu late th e entir e str uct ur e's nonlinear behav ior, testing of crit ical com ponents

relied on for seism ic base isolation and superstr uct ur e duct ility , and v erify ing th eir installat ion.

Speed record: Taking speed of constru ction to an ent irely new lev el, th e tw o-story Long

Hall in Whitefish, Monta na, designed by Datum Design Dra fting an d engin eered by

CLT Solut ions, took just five day s to erect a nd gav e the own er a sustainable, energ y -efficient building. It was the first comm ercial buil ding in th e U.S. m ade from CLT.

Photo by grav ity shots.com

THE TREND TOWARD

TALLER WOOD BUILDINGS

Multi-fam ily housing was one of the first ma rket segment s to


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rebound from th e recession, becau se its m ore a ffordable th an

single-famil y housing wh ile offerin g adv ant ages such a s less

upkeep and closer proxim ity to am enities. Wood constru ction is

attr activ e for mu lti-family projects because it offers high density at

a r elativ ely low cost, a s well as adaptability on site, faster

constr uct ion, and r educed carbon footprin t. The IBC allows wood-

fram e constru ction for fiv e stories and m ore (e.g. , wit h t he use of

m ezzanines and terrac es) in building occupancies th at r ang e from

business an d m ercant ile to mult i-fam ily , m ilitar y , sen ior, st udent

and affordable housing. However, there are indications that this

m ay incr ease as new product s continue to enhan ce woods ability toadd va lue in mu lti-story applications. For exam ple, cross

lam inat ed tim ber (CLT) is widely used in Eur ope and is gain ing

ground in North Am erica. In th e UK, th ere are eight- and nine-

story exam ples of CLT buildings an d a ten -story CLT project is near

completion in A ustralia.

An exa mple wit h farth er-reaching im plications is th e Long Hall in Whitefish , Montan a, th e first commercial

building in th e U.S. t o be bu ilt from cr oss lam inat ed t im ber (CLT). Althoug h the Ty pe V B struct ure w as built to 2 00 9

Inter nat ional Building Code (IBC) requirem ents, CLT was completely new to code officials. Darr y l By le, PE, of CLT

Solut ions worked with t he local building depar tm ent m ore than six m onth s in adv ance to address concerns and keep

th e project on schedule. Am ong t he cha llenges, the t eam needed approv al of th e CLT system as a stand-alone, one-

hour r ated assembly in order to featu re exposed CLT on the int erior. By le used data on fire design from sour ces such

as th e Nat ional Design Specification (NDS) for Wood Constru ction an d experim ental CLT fire t est data from

m anu factu rers and independent sources to demonstr ate th at CLT panels could be expected to perform w ell in a fire

event.

Galleria Italia at t he Art Gallery of

Ontar io. (See case study on page 5. )


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Photo by Sean Weav er

In addition to CLT, parallel strand lumber (PSL), glued laminated timber (glulam) and prefabricated paneling

systems are am ong t he products contributing to a wider ra nge of wood buildings. They hav e ma de wood a v iable

choice for applications such as arena s, gy m nasium s and lobbies, wh ich r equire tall w alls and larg e open spaces wit h

minim al, interm ediate supports. For exam ple, glulam can be ma nufactur ed to achiev e spans as long a s 100 feet and

walls up to 20 feet . (See t he ca se stu dy at the en d of th is article of the Art Gallery of Ont ar io renov ation design ed by

Frank Gehry .)

Wood and t he Envir onment

Wood gr ows n at ural ly an d is r enewable. Life cy cle assessment (LCA) studies a lso show th at wood y ields clear

env ironmental adv anta ges ov er other comm on building mat erials in term s of embodied energy , air a nd water

pollut ion, and g reenhouse gas em issions.

In th e past, t he gr een building m ov ement has taken a prescriptiv e approach to choosing building m aterials. This

approach assumes that certa in prescribed pract icessuch as using local m ater ials or specify ing products with

recy cled conten tare better for the env ironmen t r egar dless of the product 's man ufact ur ing pr ocess or disposal.

Today , howev er, it is being replaced by the scientific evalu ation of actual impacts thr ough LCA.

LCA is an int erna tionally recognized method for measurin g the env ironm ental im pacts of mat erials, assemblies or

whole bu ildings ov er their enti re liv esfrom extr action or h arv est of ra w m at er ia ls throug h m an ufac tu ring,

tr ansport ation, installa tion, use, maint enanc e and disposal or recy cling. Wh en integr ated into green building codes,standar ds and ra ting system s, LCA encourag es design professionals t o com pare different bu ilding designs based on

their env ironmental im pacts and make inform ed choices about t he m aterials they use.

LCA IN CODES, STANDARDS

AN D RATING SYSTEMS

LCA is more comm on in Eur ope than North A mer ica, but its use is

incr easing in both m ark ets because of its holistic approach and

power as an ev aluat iv e tool. For exam ple:

The UK-based Building Research Establishm ents Env ironm ental

Assessm ent Meth od (BREEAM) is t he w orlds m ost w idely used

green building r ating sy stem a nd the basis for m any others,

including the Leadership in Energy and Env ironmental Design

(LEED) sy stem and Green Globes. The BREEAM modules for offices,

m ult i-fam ily buildings and ecoHom es inclu de calcula tions based on

LCA.

In th e U.S., LCA is encourag ed in the Green Globes rat ing sy stem,

and included in the American National Standard based on Green

Globes, ANSI/GBI 01 -201 0: Green Bu ilding Assessment Protocol for

Com m ercial Buildings. It is also included as a pilot cr edit in LEED.

LCA is incorpora ted in th e draft California Gr een Building

Stan dards Code, Amer ican Society of Heating , Refrigera ting

and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 189.1,

National Green Building Standard (ICC 700), and International

Green Construction Code (IGCC).

A com prehensiv e 2 007 rev iew of scien ti fic literat ure2looked at research done in Europe, Nort h Am erica a nd

Austr alia per ta ining to life cy cle assessment of wood product s. It applied LCA cr iter ia in ac cordan ce w ith ISO 1 404 0-

42 and concluded, am ong other thing s, that:

Fossil fuel consumpt ion, the potent ial contr ibutions to the gr eenhouse effect a nd th e quan tities of solid waste

tend to be m inor for wood product s compa red to competing product s.

Wood produ ct s th at hav e been insta lled and are u sed in an appr opriate way tend to h av e a fav ora ble


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env ironmental profile compared to functionally equivalent products made from other ma terials.

It's worth takin g a closer look at som e of the importan t aspects th at contr ibute to this fav ora ble env ironmen tal

profile.

COST-EFFECTIVE GREEN SCHOOLS

Bethel School Distr ict (BSD) is prov ing t ha t building gr een doesnt h av e to cost a lot.

While the Dist rict reports an 81 per cen t ENERGY STAR ra ting ov eral l, sev eral of th eir

1 7 elementa ry and six junior high schools hav e a rating ran ging from 9 5 to 98percent. While size, configur ation and age of the 23 facilit ies v aries, one thing r ema ins

constan t: each is wood-fram e.

Wood-frame sch ools can be ea sily designed to meet an d exceed the dem an ding energy

efficiency requir ement s of env ironm ental ly -m inded school district s. And, th ey ca n do

so cost effectiv ely . One of BSDs new elem entar y schools, completed in 2 01 1 , ha d a

total constr uct ion cost of $19 7 .7 0 per squar e foota significant sav ings com pared to

the a v erage constru ction cost of an elementar y school in western Washington, w hich

is $250.07 .

BSD credits sev eral factors in th eir success. In w estern Washingt on, wood studs cost

alm ost h alf as mu ch as m etal; $0.53 per lineal foot for w ood v ersus $0.9 8 for m etal

studs. Al so, w ood studs dont tra nsfer h eat a nd cold the w ay m etal stu ds do, so wood

helps improve the energy efficiency of the exterior env elope. Finally , w ood-frame

wal ls, floors an d roofs easily accom m odat e in expensiv e ba tt insulat ion, m aking it

simple and c ost-effectiv e to over -insulat e.

Of th eir 23 schools and one learn ing cent er, 1 8 ha v e earned the ENERGY STAR label,

and the BSD has receiv ed national r ecognition from t he U.S. Envir onm ental

Protection Ag ency as an ENERGY STAR Leader.

Spanaw ay Junior High School, Bethel School District, Spanaway , Washington

Photo by Bethel Sch ool District

Sustainable Source

Sustaina ble forest ma nag ement inv olves meeting society 's need for forest products and other benefits, wh ile


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respecting t he v alu es people attach to forests and preserv ing forest health and diver sity for the futu re. In North

America, r esponsible forest m an agem ent ensur es that forest s ar e legal ly har v ested and m an aged to meet societ y 's

long-term dem and for forest products and oth er sustainability goals. In th e U.S. an d Canada, t his has resulted in

more tha n 50 consecutiv e y ears of net forest gr owth that exceeds annua l forest h arv ests.3Th e ra te of deforestation in

the U.S. and Canada is vir tually zero.4

Wood is al so the onl y building m ateria l t hat has t hir d-par ty cer tifica tion pr ogr am s in pla ce to dem onstrat e that

product s being sold hav e com e from a sustainably m ana ged resour ce. Sustaina ble forest certificat ion all ows forest

companies to demonstr ate th e effectiv eness of their pra ctices by ha v ing th em independently assessed against a

stringent standard tha t considers env ironmental, economic a nd social v alues. As of Augu st 201 2, approxima tely

500 m illion acres of forest in th e U.S. an d Canada w ere certified under one of the four inter nat ional ly recognized

program s used in Nort h Am erica: th e Sustainable Forestry Initia tiv e (SFI), Forest Stewa rdship Coun cil (FSC),

Cana dian Standar ds Association's Sustaina ble Forest Mana gem ent Stan dard (CSA), and America n Tree Far m Sy stem

(ATFS). This repr esents m ore t ha n h alf of the w orld's certified forests.

A st udy by the Consort iu m for Resea rch on Renewable Industr ial Ma teria ls (CORRIM) ex am ined the

impa cts of com para ble wood v s. concr ete homes in Atla nta and w ood v s. steel-fra m e homes in

Minneapolis (the m ater ials most com mon in ea ch cit y ). In both com parisons, wood was shown to be

better for t he en v ir onm ent in term s of embodied en ergy , a ir and wat er pollution, and gl obal warm ing

potent ial. In term s of solid waste, t he w ood home outperform ed the concrete home, but r esult ed in

slightly m ore wa ste (0.9 percen t) tha n th e steel-fram e hom e. This table shows the results applied to

wal l a ssemblies.


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Carbon Footprint

As tr ees grow, they absorb c ar bon dioxide fr om th e a tm ospher e. Th ey release th e oxy gen and incorpora te the ca rbon

into th eir w ood, r oots, leav es or n eedles, an d sur rounding soil. One of th ree th ings th en ha ppens:

As t rees m at ure and th en die, they sta rt to decay an d slowly release th e stored ca rbon bac k int o th e

atmosphere.

The forest succum bs to wildfire, insects or disease and releases the stored carbon quickly .

The trees are harvested and manufactured into forest products, which continue to store much of the carbon.

In t he ca se of wood buildings, th e car bon is kept out of the at m osphere for th e lifetime of the stru ctu reorlonger if the w ood is reclaim ed and ma nufac tur ed into oth er products. Wood stores more carbon tha n is

emitted during its harv est, production, tran sport and installation.

Accordin g to t he U.S. EPA Greenhouse Gas Equiv al encies Calcula tor , estim at ed car bon

benefit s for t he fiv e-story Av alon A na heim Stadiu m equ at e to a y ears wort h of

emissions from 2,3 7 0 cars or th e energy to operat e an av erage home for 1 ,050 y ears.

Photo by A rden Photograph y , court esy Va nDorpe Chou Associates

CARBON CA LCULATOR

A n ew ca lcula tor estim at es the

car bon ben efits of wood

buildings. User s input th e

v olum e of wood product s, a nd

the calculat or estimates the

am oun t of car bon stored in th e

wood and th e greenhouse g as

emissions av oided by using

wood. If v olum e in form ation

isnt known , users m ay select

from ty pical building ty pes.

Sour ce: ww w. woodworks.org


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In al l of th ese cases, th e cy cle begins again as the forest r egenerat es and tr ees once ag ain begin absorbing and storing

carbon.

Puttin g th ese benefits into perspectiv e, a new ca rbon calcula tor5(see box on the righ t) foun d that t he Av alon

Ana heim Stadium , a fiv e-story building constr uct ed of wood (Wit hee Malcolm Ar ch itect s, en gineer ing by Van Dorpe

Chou Associates Inc.) in A nah eim, Ca lifornia , stored 3, 97 0 m etric t ons of car bon dioxide equiv alent (CO2e) in its

lum ber and sheath ing, w hile th e emissions av oided by not using steel or concrete inc reased the carbon benefit by

another 8 ,4 40 m etric tons of CO2e. According to the U.S. Env ironm ental Protection Agency 's Greenhouse Gas

Equivalencies Calculator, th is equates to the an nual emissions from 2 ,37 0 cars or the energy to operate an av erage

home for 1 ,050 y ears.

Energy Efficiency

In term s of operating energy , w ood has the adv antag e of low therm al conductiv ity compar ed to steel and concrete. A

a result, w ood is easy t o insulat e to high standards while steel and concr ete mu st ov ercome problems from ther m al

br idging and th e possible consequence of moistu re condensat ion on cold surfaces. Howev er , beca use there are m an y

factors that hav e a g reater influence on a building's energy efficiency (such as insulation and air tight ness), th e

more relev ant point for m any designers is that wood building sy stems lend themselves to stru ctures that are h ighly

energy efficientwith less impact on the env ironment in term s of embodied energy , air and wa ter pollution, and

car bon footprint.

Any wood struct ural sy stem ca n be design ed to achiev e a tigh t building env elope. Howev er , w ith new sy stem s such

as CLT, precise m anu factu rin g results in tigh t tolerances and exceptional a ir tig ht ness. The added aspect ofdimensional sta bility also ensures that th e building rem ains airt ight over t ime. Wood is also provin g to be a good

choice for designers who wa nt t o meet th e Passiv e House (Passiv ha us) stan dard or creat e a net-zero energy or net-zero

carbon building.


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Thu nder Bay Regional Health Sciences Center in Ont ario, designed by Sal ter Farr ow

Pilon Ar chit ects Inc., wa s the first hospital in Ca nada t o gain approv al for the use of

wood as a pr im ary str uct ural elem ent.

Photo by ww w.na tur ally wood.com

Recy cle/Reuse

One of the m ost im port ant sustain ability factors for a bu ilding m ater ial is often un derestim ated or ov erlooked

completely : what will happen to the material a t th e end of the building's working life? A Sur v ey on Actu al Serv ice

Lives of Nort h Am erican Bu ildings showed that buildings in the U.S. often hav e a serv ice life of less th an 50 y ears,

rega rdless of m ater ial, becau se of chan ging needs or incr easing lan d v alu es as opposed to performa nce issues. When

one considers th e embodied energy in t hese str uct ur es and issues related to disposal, th e adaptabilit y of wood

structur es and building sy stems, either thr ough renov ation or deconstruction and reuse, is a significant a dva ntage.

(See Adaptiv e Reuse case study on th e Barn a t Fallingwat er at the end of this article.)


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Bringing Nat ure to th e Interior Environment

As buildings becom e in cr easingly depen dent on a nd designed for tech nology , t he hum an need t o conn ect with nat ure

doesn't chan ge, but it can get h ar der to accomm odate. Wood has unique ch ar acter istics th at m ost people respond to

intuitiv ely. This positiv e connection is now being docum ented by a g rowing body of research, and can be a v aluable

asset in spaces filled wit h electronic devices and screens, sy nth etic ma teria ls and art ificial light ing.

People feel an instinctiv e connection an d attr action t o natura l m aterials, and m any building designers cite the wa rm

att ribut es of wood as a r eason for its use. Ev idence also suggests that exposed wood can contribut e to an in div idual's

sense of well-being. In an office or school, w ood is th oug ht to improv e perform ance a nd product iv ity ; in a h ospital, itmay hav e a positive impact on patient recov ery.

A stu dy6at t he Univ ersity of British Colum bia and FPInnov ations found th at t he presence of v isual wood sur faces in

a r oom lowered activ ation of th e sy mpa th etic nerv ous sy stem (SNS). The SNS is responsible for phy siological stress

responses in hu m ans such a s incr eased blood pressur e and heart r ate wh ile inhibiting th e par asy m path etic sy stem

responsible for digestion, r ecov ery and repair functions in th e body. The study imm ersed 1 1 9 univ ersity students in

one of four different office env ironmen ts, som e with wood sur faces and oth ers with out. Str ess as m easured by SNS

act iv ation wa s lower in th e wood rooms in all periods of the study . The study concluded th at w ood is one wa y to create

a healthier built environment.

Study aut hor Dav id Fell say s that r esearch on wood and schools is un derway , but t he results of the office study apply

to any inter ior env ironmen t. The stress-reducin g effects we found for w ood in office env ironmen ts are in th eory

tra nsferable to any building ty pe as these are innate reactions to natura l m aterials.

Another exam ple is the Her ringt on Recov ery Cen ter in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, a 21 ,0 00 -square-foot, 2 0-bed

tr eatm ent center for execut iv es and business professionals. Cedar and stain ed wood wer e used inside and out . Wood

ceilings and soffits in th e recreat ion room and entr ances to sleeping room s brough t w arm th to the space, w hile

exposed glulam beams allowed for soar ing ceiling s and clerestory windows prov ided am ple natu ra l light . Patient

rooms ha d shorter spans, so the div iding wa lls betw een patient room s were designed as bearing wa lls. This allowed

th e use of cost-effectiv e 2x lum ber for ceiling joists. Certa inly from a cost stan dpoint, it m ade a lot of sense to do th e

whole thing on a wood fram e, said arch itect John Curran , A LA, senior v ice pr esiden t for TWP Arch itect ure. An d by

using wood in wha t some m ight consider a n institutional setting, we w ere able to create a w arm and familiar

env ironment to m ake patients feel m ore comfortable and m ore at home.

Designed by Salt er Farrow Pilon Ar chitect s, th e Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Center in Onta rio was th e

first hospital in Canada to gain approval for t he use of wood as a primary structur al element. Featuring a dram aticthr ee-story wood and glass walkway , the structu re incorporates ov er 1 ,1 00 glula m m embers, some m ore tha n 65

feet long. Th e use of wood exten sively th rough out the stru ctu re prov ides a brigh t an d optim istic atm osphere for

patients, staff, and the commu nity .

Conclusion

Wit h growing pressur e to reduce th e car bon footprint of th e bu ilt env ir onm ent, building designers ar e in cr easingly

being ca lled u pon t o balan ce func tionality and cost object iv es with reduced env ir onm enta l impact . Wood can

ty pically help to achiev e that balance.

Wood costs lesseconom ical ly and env ir onm enta lly wh ile deliv er ing more in term s of its beauty , v ersat ility and

perform ance. It meets code requir ement s in a w ide ran ge of low- and mid-rise building ty pes, and innov ativ e new

tech nologies contin ue to expand the possibilities for w ood use in construction. Wood can al so deliv er a deep conn ection

to nature th at w ill only become m ore v aluable in our built env ironm ent as hum ans continue to advan ce, and to staythe same.

Case Studies

GALLERY RENOVATION

Ar t Gallery of Ont ar io, Toronto, Ont ar io (Can ada )

Ar ch itect : Frank Geh ry

Com pleted: 20 08


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Galleria Italia at the Ar t Gallery

of Ontar io

Photo by Sean Weav er

Aft er th e r enov at ion of th e ex isting ga llery an d addit ion of 92,0 00 squar e feet of

new floor space, the Ar t Galler y of Onta rio (AGO) has been called th e most

complex wood structure in North America. The Dundas Street facade includes

1 ,800 glula m m embers, each of which is unique, as are the 2,500 glulam

connectors. Th e designer s developed th ree-dimen sional solid m odels and w irefram e

models for each glulam application, complete with calculated loads and member

sizing. A w irefram e of th e m odels wa s sent t o the subcontr actor r esponsible for t he

connection engineering, detail drafting, m anufactur ing, delivery , and installation

of the glu lam . This inform ation wa s used to develop a working solid model th at

included the glulam members, connections and hardware. The model was used to

create shop drawings for approval and ev entually for data input to the CNC

equipment u sed to machine each glu lam mem ber to exacting tolerances and to

shape the complex fram ing for each connector. In addition to the impr essive

stru ctur al a pplications, wood was used decorativ ely to prov ide visual h ighlights

thr ough out t he interior.

ADA PTIVE REUSE

The Barn at Fallin gwat er, Mill Ru n, PA

Ar ch itect : Bohlin Cy winski J ackson


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Photos by ww w.na tur ally wood.com

Adjacent to Fra nk Lloy d Wr ights Fal ling wat er , th e Ba rn at Fal ling wat er is a

renov ated 19 th centur y barn built into a hillside with a 1 94 0s dairy barn addition.

The 1 2,0 00-squar e-foot adaptiv e reuse project is the first pha se of a conference

complex for th e Western Pennsy lv ania Conserv ancy .

The Barns interior is rich with recy cled and salv aged materials that celebrate the

regions agr ar ian her itag e. A latt ice screen wa s m ade of site-recy cled tongu e-and

groov e fir from an old ceiling. Contra sting t he barns existing h eav y -timber structu re

are new para llel strand lum ber (PSL) mem bers used as beam s and colum ns in the

lower barn . The existing h eav y -timber structu re of the bank barn was cleaned and left

natu ral. A m aple gym floor salv aged from a conv ent serv es as the new therm al and

moistur e barrier between th e two lev els. Ju st ov er 81 percent of the constru ctiondebris was recy cled. This project wa s com pleted by Bohlin Cy win ski Jackson, a fir m

known for its innov ativ e use of wood. It is featu red in th e U.S. Departm ent of Energy s

High Performance Building Database.

CONDO EXPANSION

Marselle Condomini ums, Seattle, Washington

Ar ch itect : PB Arch itect s

Com pleted: 20 09


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Photo by Matt Todd Photography

Wood-frame podiu m constr uct ion is noth ing new, particu la rly for Seattl e. But

when dev eloper s built the Marselle Condominiu m s, t hey did something new by

literally taking wood to the next level. By designing the 160,000-square-foot condo

complex to meet Ty pe III-A constru ction requirem ents, they were a ble to build five

and one-hal f floors of wood ov er a tw o-story concrete podium deck. The

combination of "fiv e and one-ha lf ov er t wo" m ade Marselle the ta llest m odern w ood-

frame structu re in Seattle.

The extr a ha lf-story m ezzanine added about $250,0 00 to the construct ion cost of

the building, but th e architect a nd builder estima ted that t he added height and

space increased the v alu e of the com plex by $1 m illion.

From t he outside, the Marselle looks like a ty pical 1 32 -unit condom iniumstruct ur e. But on closer inspection, w ood fram ing added v alu e in a num ber of

way s. Loca ted ju st n ort h of th e city s downt own core, not far from Seattl e's fam ous

Space Needle, Marselle was certified Built Sm ar tSM by Seattle City Light and

constr uct ed to m eet the Master Builders Association Built Gr een program in par t

by utilizin g wood as an earth -friendly , energy -efficien t building m at er ia l.

Construction began in Augu st 2 007 and was completed in April 2009. Joe Hanley,

president of Norcon, N W, Inc., said the u se of wood contr ibuted substan tially to the

speed wit h wh ich th e building wa s constru cted. "The concrete and steel hotel righ t

beh ind Mar selle h ad a sim ilar ly -sized footpr int, but floor-by -floor, our framing

went up m uch faster. T hey had a lot of on-site welding but by using wood, we w ere

able to work thr ough all ty pes of weather."


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THE ENVIRONMENT

There ar e man y rem ar kable exam ples of wood buildings tha t hav e been designed to blend

with th eir env ir onm ent, and giv e occupants a deep c onnect ion to n at ure in side a nd out .

Two shown h ere closely combine the tr aditional v alu es of wood with new t echniques for

sustainable building.

Robert Paine Scripps Forum for

Science, Society and t he Env ironment

La Jolla, California

Ar ch itect : Sa fdie Rabines Ar ch itect s

San Diego, California

Photo by Dav id Hewitt /Ann e Garrison

Ar ch itect ural Photogr aphy

This LEED-certified 300-person flexible

auditorium space inc ludes four ocean-frontmeeting r ooms, a graduat e student lounge,

and a ca tering kitch en and r estau rant . Roof

fram ing is com prised of exposed Doug las fir

beam s. Certified plan ta tion teak was used to

accentuate interior and exterior elements.

The design objectiv e wa s to create a state-of-

the-art conference center that felt ca sual,

war m an d inv it ing.

Tamarack Ski Lodge

Heavenly Lake Tahoe Ski Resort

Sout h Lake Ta hoe, California

Ar ch itect : Colla bora tiv e Desig n Studio

Reno, Nev ada

Photo by Carr ie Com pton

The w ood ma teria ls used in t his 500-seat

restaur ant w ith bar a rea, restroom

facilities and support spaces include Douglasfir exterior and inter ior w all studs,

stru ctur al plyw ood roof sheathing, resawn

Doug las fir glula m roof beam s, and Doug las

fir 3x wood stru ctura l m embers. The intent

of the building a esth etics was to create an

appealing stru cture t hat blended into the

domina nt beauty of the surrounding

mountain environment. This was

accomplished by keeping th e buildings

ma ssing simple in n atu re, exposing the

nat ura lly compatible wood stru cture,

util izing cedar w ood siding a s an ext erior

skin and incorpora ting wood detailin g

thr ough out the interior of the facility.

ENDNOTES

1 woodworks.org /w p-cont ent/uploads/Mar selle.pdf

Sour ce: Werner, F. an d Richt er, K. 200 7 . Wooden building product s in
http://woodworks.org/wp-content/uploads/Marselle.pdf


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2 comparative LCA: A l iterature review. International Journal of Life Cycle

Assessm ent, 1 2(7 ): 4 7 0-4 7 9

3Calcu lated by Dov etail Part ners Inc. based on data from N atu ra l Resources Cana da

and th e USDA Forest Serv ice.

4Deforestation in Can ada - What ar e the Facts, Nat ur al Resources Cana da; State of

th e World's Forests, 201 1 , United Nat ions Food and Agr icult ur e Organ ization

5 U.S. WoodWorks Carbon Calculator, www.woodworks.org

6 www.solu tionsforwood.com /_docs/reports/Wood_Hum an _Hea lt h_fin al-singl e.pdf

The r eThink Wood initiat iv e is a coalit ion of interests

representing N ort h Am ericas wood products industry

and r elated stakeholders. Th e coalition shar es a

passion for w ood and the forests they come from.

Innovat iv e new technologies and building systems

ha v e enabled longer wood spans, taller w alls and

higher buildings, and continue to expand the

possibilities for wood use in constru ction.

www.r ethinkw ood.c om

Origina lly published in th e Septem ber/October 201 2 issue of GreenSour ce
http://www.rethinkwood.com/http://www.rethinkwood.com/http://www.solutionsforwood.com/_docs/reports/Wood_Human_Health_final-single.pdf

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