Multi-Story Wood Construction

A cost-effective and sustainable solution for today’s changing housing market

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Earn 1 AIA/CES HSW learning unit and 1 GBCI hour for LEED Credential Maintenance

CEU Publish Date: March 2014

Best Practices

reThink Wood® and WoodWorks sponsors this Continuing Education Unit provided by McGraw-Hill Publishers. This course is registered with AIA CES and GBCI for continuing professional education.

As such, it does not contain content that may be deeded or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA or GBCI of any materials of constructions or any manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.

Credit earned on completion of this course will be reported to AIA CES for AIA members. Certificates of completion are available for self-reporting and record-keeping needs.

Questions related to the information presented should be directed to reThinkWood® upon completing this program.

AIA Provider Number: K029 GBCI Provider: McGraw-Hill PublishersAIA Course number: K1203F GBCI Course number: #0090007923AIA Credit: 1 HSW/SD hour GBCI Credit: 1 GBCI CMP hour

Copyright Materials

This presentation is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, display and use of the presentation without written permission of reThink Wood® is prohibited.

© 2014, reThink Wood®, www.rethinkwood.com

Learning Objectives

Identify the sustainability and economic benefits of using wood construction for mid-rise buildings. 

Summarize building code requirements and provisions for mid-rise multi-family wood-frame structures. 

Discuss wood framing solutions that address issues such as shrinkage, fire protection, and seismic requirements while minimizing carbon footprint. 

Explore innovations in wood framing design techniques and wood product technologies that enhance energy efficiency.

Table of Contents

Section 2

Mastering Wood Construction Design

Section 3

Fire Protection Requirements

Section 4

How to Frame with Wood

Section 5

Innovative Wood Products and Building Systems

Section 1

Cost Effective & Sustainable

COST EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLESECTION 1

Cost Effective

Drs. Julian and Raye Richardson Apartments

Location: San Francisco, CAArchitect: David Baker + PartnersEngineer: Structural Design Engineers

This four-story affordable housing project provides permanent residences for low-income, formerly homeless adults. Wood was used as the primary structural material due to its cost effectiveness and as a symbol of nature and renewability.

Photo: Bruce Damonte

Stella

Location: Marina del Rey, California

Architect: DesignARC

Engineer: Taylor & Syfan Consulting Engineers

Size: Two buildings, 650,466 square feet (total), 224 units

Type of construction: IIIA and VA

Year of completion: 2013

Many designers choose five stories over concrete podiums as a way to cost-effectively increase the density of projects.

Photo: Lawrence Anderson www.lawrenceanderson.net

Reduced Environmental Impact

Source: Data compiled by the Canadian Wood Council using the ATHENA EcoCalculator with a data set for Toronto, Canada

Photo courtesy naturallywood.com

Sustainable Forestry Carbon Cycle

Photos courtesy Wood Works

Service Life of Actual Buildings

The service lives of most buildings are likely far shorter than their theoretical maximum.

The majority of demolished steel and concrete buildings in the study were less than 50 years old.

MASTERING WOOD CONSTRUCTION DESIGNSECTION 2

Building Code Requirements

Types I and II Limited to non-combustible materials – wood can be used to varying degrees

Type III Allows a mix of non-combustible materials

Type IV and V Allows combustible building materials.

Multi-story wood buildings are usually

Type III or Type V

IBC Allowable Heights and Areas for Residential Wood Construction

ResidentialLong-term stay multiple-family facilities (R-2) and Short-term (R-1)(i.e., apartments, convents, dormitories, fraternities and sororities for R-2 and motels for R-1)NFPA Sprinklers100% Open Perimeter

Type IIIA Type IIIB Type VA Type VB

Maximum stories 5 5 4 3

Maximum building height (ft) 85 75 70 60

Total building area (at maximum permitted stories) (ft2)

270,000 180,000 135,000 78,750

Single floor area (ft2) 90,000 60,000 45,000 25,250

Total building area (ft2), single-story building

114,000 76,000 57,000 33,250

Total building area (ft2), two-story building 180,000 120,000 90,000 52,500

Source: American Wood Council

Open Front Areas

IBC Section 506.2 permits area increases up to 75% for buildings with open spaces around perimeters.

Photo: Lawrence Anderson www.lawrenceanderson.net

Sprinkler Systems

University of Washington West Campus Student Housing – Phase I

Location: Seattle, WAArchitect: Mahlum ArchitectsType of construction: Type VA

Increases to the allowable height and floor area are permitted according to IBC Section 504.2 with the use of an approved automatic sprinkler system in accordance with the NFPA 13 standard.

Photo courtesy of Benjamin Benschneider, Mahlum Architects

Photo: W.G. Clark Construction, Ankrom Molsan Architects

Mercer Court at the University of Washington

Includes five buildings, each with five stories of wood-frame construction over two or three stores of concrete.

Fire Walls | Podium Design

Parkside Mixed-Use ProjectCombination of affordable housing & community church

Location: San Diego, CaliforniaArchitect: Benson & Bohl Architects, Inc.Code Consultant: CHURCHILL ENGINEERING, INC.Residential (five levels of wood-frame construction): 67,109 ft2; 77 apartment unitsChurch (one level plus mezzanine): 12,209 ft2

Parking garage (3 levels): 48,213 ft2

Total area of building: 127,531 ft2

Type of construction: Type IIIA platform wood construction over a Type 1A concrete podiumYear of completion: 2010

Photo: Benson & Bohl Architects

Mixed-Use Podium Building

Some designers have lowered costs by designing the podium in wood.

All-Wood Podiums

Photo: Michael Malinowski, Applied Architecture

Photo by Matt Todd, courtesy of WoodWorks

Mezzanines

Marselle CondominiumsLocation: Seattle, WashingtonOwner: Marselle Partners, LLCArchitect: PB Architects

IBC Section 505 excludes mezzanines from the determination of number of stories or building area.

FIRE PROTECTION REQUIREMENTSSECTION 3

Fire-Resistance Assemblies

Gypsum sheathing provides 1-hour and 2-hour fire-resistance requirements.

Photo: W.G. Clark Construction

Photo: © Arden Photography

Fire-Retardant-Treated Wood & Fire WallsAvalon Anaheim Stadium

Location: Anaheim, CaliforniaArchitect: Withee Mallcom Architects

FRT wood is an acceptable substitute for a non-combustible material in the IBC.

While fire walls are not required by the building code, they may be utilized to increase the square footage of a building.

Three-Hour Fire Wall Assembly

Image: Togawa Smith Martin

One consideration for Type IIIA is that floors and walls may have different fire ratings.

Fire-Resistance Requirements

Fire-Resistance Requirements for Type IIIA and Type VA Construction

Type IIIA Type VA

Exterior Bearing Walls* 2 hrs 1 hr

Interior Bearing Walls* 1 hr 1 hr

Floor Construction* 1 hr 1 hr

Roof Construction* 1 hr 1 hr

Fire Walls** 3 hrs 2 hrs

* Source: IBC Table 601, **IBC Table 706.4

HOW TO FRAME WITH WOODSECTION 4

Common Framing

Platform – joists sit on top of the double plates of the wall

Semi-Balloon – floor framing hangs off the double top plates

A BPlatform Framing

Semi-Balloon Framing

Shrinkage

Building designs must compensate for wood shrinkage, which occurs as wood dries until it reaches its Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC).

Photo: Arch Wood Protection

Advanced Individual Training Barracks with Company OperationsFive Stories of Wood over Concrete

Location: Fort Lee, Virginia

Architect/design-build: LS3P Associates Ltd. and Clark Builders Group

Structural engineering: Michael M. Simpson & Associates, Inc.

Size: 360,000 square feet

Type of construction: Type IIIA wood-frame construction on concrete mat slab

Year of completion: 2011

Photo: Benson & Bohl Architects

Above: Plumbing sleeve connected to structure with foam wrap to allow vertical movement of structure.

Differential Movement

Photos: WoodWorks

Left: Plumbing joints with pipes nested in joint to allow for vertical movement of structure.

Built to achieve LEED Platinum certification, New Genesis Apartments in Los Angeles, California, designed by Killefer Flammang Architects demonstrates the redundant load paths, effective for creating earthquake resistive structures.

Photo: KC Kim, GB Construction

Seismic Requirements 

Seismic Testing

Photo: John van de Lindt, University of Alabama

After being lifted to a shake table and subjected to four progressively intense earthquakes, this six-story light-frame building was found to have only minimal damage to the gypsum wallboard and nail connections. 

(View a video of the test on YouTube.) 

INNOVATIVE WOOD PRODUCTS AND BUILDING SYSTEMS

SECTION 5

• Quality and speed of construction• Optimized stud design• Increased sound proofing• Energy efficiency

Prefabricated Systems

Photo courtesy of Wallace Building Products

Cross Laminated Timber(CLT)

Engineered wood panel

3, 5 or 7 layers of dimension lumber oriented at right angles to one another then glued to form structural panels

Exceptionally strong, dimensionally stable and rigid

Photo courtesy of naturallywood.com

LifeCycle Tower ONE

Location: Dornbirn, Australia

Architect / Contractor / Developer: Cree GmbH

Year of completion: 2012

When Cree GmbH developed their LifeCycle Tower system, they knew the best way to sell the concept was to prove its viability. Wood’s environmental and structural benefits were key considerations for LCT ONE.

Photo courtesy of Cree Buildings, Inc.

In SummaryTaller Wood Building Trend

Driven by their acceptance in building codes and the value they provide, recent trend is toward taller wood buildings.

Photo courtesy of Cree Buildings, Inc.

Photo courtesy of Karakusevic Carson Architects Rendering courtesy of mgb

Photo by David Lena;courtesy of HMC Architects

For more information on building with wood, visit rethinkwood.com

THANK YOU!