Potential for Medium Rise Timber Structures in Ireland

Timber is one of the most sustainable materials available today when sourced from certified sustainable managed forests. It has excellent structural properties, with strength to weight ratios twice that of steel and greater... [ view full abstract ]

Timber is one of the most sustainable materials available today when sourced from certified sustainable managed forests. It has excellent structural properties, with strength to weight ratios twice that of steel and greater again when compared to concrete. Contrary to popular belief, timber also has some excellent fire resistance properties with limited negative characteristics. In Ireland, timber construction is typically limited to use in residential type buildings, and other traditional areas such as roofing etc. However, it is rarely used for medium rise and commercial buildings. This is the case in Ireland for a myriad of reasons including, durability, fire performance, acoustic characteristics and availability of suitable indigenous structural timber. The key objective of this project was to examine the viability of using timber for medium rise commercial structures in Ireland. Consequently, the design of a complex eight storey hybrid building was completed to investigate the potential for timber frame construction. The structure included glulam elements, cross laminated timber panels, and steel tension cabling. A number of software solutions were developed for the analysis and design of the various structural components. Such software was then compared with outputs from proprietary software solutions (e.g. Dlubal timber analysation, Tedds, and STAADpro). The results from the research successfully demonstrate a 30 to 40 percent capacity increase in components, by using this hybrid approach of post tensioned timber with steel cables, while also delivering other unforeseen benefits such as improved aesthetics, and increased thermal and acoustic properties. This project demonstrates that engineered timber products used in more innovate ways, combined with other traditional materials, could have a much greater role to play in our building industry. This approach could yield many benefits over traditional build techniques, while also fulfilling our sustainability obligations.