Lloyd Alter @ Treehugger.com continues to beat the drum for tall wood buildings as he reports that the University of British Columbia is planning to build a new student residence to be 18 stories tall:
No doubt the steel and concrete people will be out in force calling this a firetrap (thats what all the commenters are saying in the Vancouver Sun) However it is not. The architects note that “The conservative approach used for the design of the project is equally as safe as that for high rise buildings using a concrete or steel structure. ”
The building is comprised of a series of repetitive, highly compartmentalized small rooms so that in the event that a fire originates in one suite it is extremely likely the fire would be contained in the compartment in which it originated. To enhance compartmentalization, the typical one-hour fire separation required by the building code has been increased to two hours. Studies have shown that automatic sprinkler systems are effective in controlling over 90% of fire incidents. For this project an automatic sprinkler system with a back-up water supply offers additional protection for occupants, as well as for firefighters, for events that might originate during an earthquake, as the sprinkler system would remain operational.
The architect, Acton Ostry Architects, gives a description:
53m tall mass timber structure comprised of two-way CLT floor slabs, glulam columns and steel connectors; concrete, gypsum board, prefab building envelope with metal cladding
So it’s a hybrid. Nothing wrong with that as more is learned about how to properly build tall wooden buildings.
Makes me wonder about the construction of most new homes in Minnesota. Vinyl siding (which I detest, as it’s harder to paint than wood – which makes it harder to customize your house – and not particularly good for the environment)? What else?
