Multi-Hazard Performance Based Design Guideline for Wood-Based High-Rise Buildings

In order to satisfy the housing demand in major Canadian cities, there is a renaissance in the use of tall wood-based buildings. Timber is the most sustainable and environmental friendly construction material with higher seismic resistance. In April 2009, the British Columbia Building Code was amended to increase the height limit of wood-frame buildings from 4 to 6 story. In the current 2015 NBCC, the height limit was increased for entire Canada. With the use of mass timber, timber-based high-rise buildings are constructed around the world. However, there is no design guideline for mass timber buildings. The aim of this project is to develop a multi-hazard performance based design guideline for wood-based highrise buildings. The multi-hazard risk considered are strong winds and destructive earthquakes. This research will be the first to combine these two hazards within the performance based engineering context. Last year, FPInnovations released the first technical guideline to assist the design and construction of tall timber buildings. The guideline pointed out research challenges and technical gaps related to the need for proper multi-hazard performance based design approaches for tall timber buildings. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Solomon Tesfamariam

Student:

Matiyas Bezabeh

Partner:

FPInnovations

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Forestry

University:

Program: