Vancouver architecture firm proposes timber skyscraper for Paris skyline

[fredinno]

Originally Posted by Sheba

http://www.vancouversun.com/Vancouve...741/story.html

This...was probably a bad time to post this, lol.

Originally Posted by osirisboy

Wasn't somewhere at ubc supposed to build a wooden skyscraper?

It's completed, and was really a test ground to BC opening up 12-stories to engineered/solid wood construction. https://globalnews.ca/news/2943184/w...pleted-at-ubc/

It's said that such construction can be 10-15% cheaper than concrete, which is good enough reason to consider it.

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

One more time for good measure: Timber does not equal woodframe.

I'd like to note that the terms wood-frame, engineered-wood, and solid timber/wood are often used so interchangeably by the general public, it's easy to confuse if you're not an expert.

Originally Posted by Vin

Thanks for sharing. Obviously, many here are still pretty blind to the dangers of wooden houses and apartments. People should know that wood is supposed to burn, otherwise it won't be wood. Can't blame them though cuz it's the way mass construction is done here, and people are wired to think that wooden structures are a given.

Sir, Notre Dame lacked proper fire safety upgrades.

https://www.thisisinsider.com/why-no...e-walls-2019-4

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Didn't you just advocate for vigilante mobs to combat people breaking windows?

Oh ya you totally did: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...2&postcount=60

Step aside mother Theresa!

I've seen that thread, and I don't even remember that.

[Vin]

As we debate the topic, two more wood buildings in Burnaby burned this morning....

https://www.google.com/amp/s/vancouv...tial-blaze/amp

[Vin]

Originally Posted by logan5

One of the deadliest fires that I can remember happened in a concrete building. Sprinkler systems make woodframe buildings pretty safe. Certainly safer than a concrete building without a sprinkler system.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenfell_Tower_fire

It doesn't matter what the building is, most important thing is we should not use combustible material for construction. Grenfell tower in London had been a great concrete building until they added combustible cladding after a recent renovation: this caused the fire to spread on the exterior, sort of like a wood building. However, note that the original structure still stood, and structural integrity sound.

[logan5]

Originally Posted by Vin

As we debate the topic, two more wood buildings in Burnaby burned this morning....

https://www.google.com/amp/s/vancouv...tial-blaze/amp

Now you want to build houses out of concrete? Holy shit.

[Vin]

Wood building is also more prone to arson attacks: such as this that happened in Surrey about a few days back.

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-...-in-surrey/amp

[Vin]

Originally Posted by logan5

Now you want to build houses out of concrete? Holy shit.

Why so shocked. Brick, mortar, concrete and other non-combustible materials have been staples for house constructions on this planet for centuries. Go to Ontario and see them, and then you can travel outside the country (not the US) and you will see a lot more. Cities that don't use wood for home construction also don't invest heavily on firefighting: firetrucks and firemen are not so visible like here in North Anerica.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Timberframe people, not 70's-era woodframe. Timberframe is harder to burn, and more heat resistant than concrete or steel.

Originally Posted by Vin

Why so shocked. Brick, mortar, concrete and other non-combustible materials have been staples for house constructions on this planet for centuries. Go to Ontario and see them, and then you can travel outside the country (not the US) and you will see a lot more. Cities that don't use wood for home construction also don't invest heavily on firefighting: firetrucks and firemen are not so visible like here in North Anerica.

Just gonna leave these here...

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Vin

As we debate the topic, two more wood buildings in Burnaby burned this morning....

https://www.google.com/amp/s/vancouv...tial-blaze/amp

[IMG]Hindenburg by whatnextyvr, on Flickr[/IMG]

[fredinno]

Funny how this so quickly devolved into a Vin vs everyone thread....

[LeftCoaster]

Who would advocate brick over woodframe in a seismic zone?

What happened saving lives and protecting property?

[GenWhy?]

Just got out of a meeting with a manufacturer. Fireproofing for them and others need a boost from 3 rating to 5. Pretty minor for envelope but tricky in a small site like ours and due to the small size it isn't cost effective.

Go big or go home on Timber at the moment. Costs still need to come down unless you're a big office or residnetial 150-200 sf frontage buildings where you get a 30% saving. Bonus overall is of course thinner loads, slabs, and quck construction. I think it's a reality our teams will be looking into this in th enext few years. We're going to try for a hybrid model at the moment but only because it's a condo project in a good neighbourhood. Aesthetic purposes and "neat" factor.. it's a DP so Green Building Code isn't a factor like rezonings, but I feel we'll be squeezed into this market more and more soon.

[LeftCoaster]

Most of the big national developers and pension shops are starting to test their designs / pro formas with wood design. It just has too many positives to ignore.

Biggest implementation issue I've struggled with so far is HVAC distribution and future reconfiguration. I just don't see how you have flexibility in say year 20.

[fredinno]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Most of the big national developers and pension shops are starting to test their designs / pro formas with wood design. It just has too many positives to ignore.

Biggest implementation issue I've struggled with so far is HVAC distribution and future reconfiguration. I just don't see how you have flexibility in say year 20.

?

[LeftCoaster]

The solid beams in timberframe construction make distribution of ducts difficult down the road as office configurations change. This is easily accommodated with concrete, less so with steel, and even more difficult with timber beams. It's not a deal breaker, but a bit of a logistical issue down the road I haven't seen a good answer for yet.

[officedweller]

Like this but on a bigger scale?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2uqlq7yM7E

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Like this but on a bigger scale?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2uqlq7yM7E

Exactly the issue but even more pronounced when going through thicker structural timber beams that also have an architectural function.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Exactly the issue but even more pronounced when going through thicker structural timber beams that also have an architectural function.

In MEC's HQ they made some of the ducts a feature, and had a ceiling void in parts of the building for the bigger pipes and the HVAC. It means taller floor to ceiling heights than some structures, but makes the interior feel really spacious.


[source: fuelboard.co]

[officedweller]

Looking at that MEC rendering - and come to think of it
- doesn't Telus Garden run HVAC under raised floors?

[logan5]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Like this but on a bigger scale?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2uqlq7yM7E

I looked at that and immediately wondered if that's even legal, and it's not, so I don't think you would have the option of doing that in this tower even if you wanted to. Somewhere in the units you would have to have a drop ceiling that leaves enough room for mechanical systems. You're losing a lot of height to ceiling space on a project like this. Don't think this will ever get built.

What part of Kits is this tower proposed to go in? 35 stories with this building would probly be pushing 450 feet. That alone makes things difficult. Hope it somehow happens...

[Vin]

April 11th: Kitsilano:
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1469974

April 17th: One dead.
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1483635

Recent:
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=385793

Vancouver house fires this month:
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C....0.CPuviXUJYMI

Burnaby house fires this month:
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C....0.Jr-oqOd5LN8

Coquitlam house fires this month:
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C....0.CLZxqd0VJBA

Richmond house fires this month:
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C....0.G4YOaTRlxaI

Surrey house fires this month:
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C....0.67yNRTdjXVI

New Westminster house fires this month:
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C....0.8Yf-xtopkPQ

Langley house fires this month:
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C....0.R5aApQSjyCE

Now imagine if all these houses were built with a non-flammable material in the fist place......