A reader is concerned about cross-laminated lumber:
Hope it never catches on fire.
A recent achievement should allay this concern. From the Forest Business Network:
D.R. Johnson Wood Innovations, the nation’s first certified U.S. manufacturer of Cross-Laminated Timber, has become the first North American CLT manufacturer to achieve significant fire safety requirements under tests designed to gauge flame spread and fire resistance. No other manufacturer of CLT has been certified under the new APA/ANSI manufacturing standard and has subjected its panels to such rigorous tests.
“We’re proud of our team and the quality of the CLT panels they’re manufacturing,” said Valerie Johnson, President of D.R. Johnson Wood Innovations. “Our panels are manufactured to the highest possible standards and perform safely under tough conditions. These tests prove you don’t sacrifice safety when you build with CLT.”
The flame spread test was performed by QAI Laboratories in California using the standard flame spread and smoke density classification tests in accordance with ASTM Designation E84-15b, “Standard Method of Test for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials.” The test identifies the rate of the spread of fire across the building material, and it places the results into three classifications: A, B, and C, with A being the highest rating and C being the lowest. D.R. Johnson’s CLT panel achieved an A rating, meaning there was minimal spread of fire across the building material over the test’s standard time period.
Another reader asks:
So, 17-18 stories, or about 170 to 200 feet tall?
From Acton Ostry Architects:
The structure is a hybrid system comprised of CLT floor slabs, glulam columns, steel connectors and concrete cores. When completed in 2017 Brock Commons will stand 53 metres tall.
Or 173 feet. Roughly.
