\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nQ: What is glulam? Is it different than cross-laminated timber?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nA:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Glulam members are glued-laminated timber<\/span>\u00a0in which<\/span>\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>layers are glued together\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>with the grain of the wood<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>oriented<\/span>\u00a0in the same direction<\/span>. This helps to produce larger and longer<\/span>–<\/span>length members.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Glulam\u00a0<\/span>has good strength and stiffness properties\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 it can also be curved and bent \u2013\u00a0<\/span>and is typically used for beams and columns.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Cross-laminated timber is\u00a0<\/span>also\u00a0<\/span>made of layers<\/span>, but the\u00a0<\/span>grains<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>alternat<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0at\u00a0<\/span>90-degree<\/span>\u00a0angles for each layer.<\/span>\u00a0It typically\u00a0<\/span>is\u00a0<\/span>used for<\/span>\u00a0walls, floors<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and roofs and has two-way slab spanning capabilities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nQ: Are mass timber options like glulam becoming more popular? If so, why?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nA:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Yes. Mass timber is becoming very popular for a couple of reasons. Wood is a natural material that\u00a0<\/span>attracts people for its green<\/span>\u00a0advantage. It<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s renewable<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and the life cycle of wood has an overall lower impact on the environment than steel and concrete<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Many owners also choose mass timber for its aes<\/span>thetics<\/span>;<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>w<\/span>ood is a warm and inviting material that architects can\u00a0<\/span>leave\u00a0<\/span>expose<\/span>d<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>This<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>also\u00a0<\/span>means less finishes are required in the building<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 a cost-saving benefit to owners.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Glulam also<\/span>\u00a0has a natural fire rating\u00a0<\/span>(<\/span>if it meets the minimum code<\/span>–<\/span>required sizes for timber elements<\/span>), so<\/span>\u00a0it does not need to be fire proofed or\u00a0<\/span>e<\/span>ncased in a\u00a0<\/span>gypsum enclosure.<\/span> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nQ:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Will recent changes\u00a0<\/span><\/b>regarding<\/span><\/b>\u00a0fire resistance to the International Building\u00a0<\/span><\/b>C<\/span><\/b>ode\u00a0<\/span><\/b>have much of an effect on the use of these materials?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nA:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>In IBC, glulam is treated the same as heavy timber when it comes to fire resistance. Heavy timber\u00a0<\/span>has natural fire resistance\u00a0<\/span>capabilities\u00a0<\/span>based on the inherent<\/span>\u00a0size of the timber elements. The large mem<\/span>bers are capable of supporting loads longer than smaller members because a char layer forms<\/span>\u00a0on the surface of the heavy timber member that allows the inner layers to remain undamaged<\/span>. IBC provides minimum dimensions required to meet these requirements.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nQ:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Are there any\u00a0<\/span><\/b>new trends<\/span><\/b>\u00a0or uses for mass timber that o<\/span><\/b>wners and architects<\/span><\/b>\u00a0should\u00a0<\/span><\/b>know<\/span><\/b>?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nA:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>The biggest advantage to mass timber construction is\u00a0<\/span>the environmental advantage over steel and concrete. For wood to become a structural material, it\u00a0<\/span>produces\u00a0<\/span>less than one-quarter the carbon emissions of either concrete or\u00a0<\/span>steel production. This<\/span>\u00a0\u2013<\/span>\u00a0along with the improvements to the structural capacity of cross-laminated timber, nail<\/span>–<\/span>laminated timber<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>dowel-laminated timber<\/span>\u00a0as wall and floor material<\/span>\u00a0\u2013<\/span>\u00a0ha<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0helped to grow the market.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>A<\/span>ddition<\/span>ally<\/span>, new changes expected in IBC 2021\u00a0<\/span>will allow for mass timber structures to be up to 18 stor<\/span>i<\/span>es<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Glulam timber is rising in popularity for owners of office buildings and apartments, thanks to changes in IBC that will allow mass timber structures to be up to 18 stories. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3,256],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs","category-structural"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Glulam timber is on its way up - IMEG<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n