• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.197-206
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• 2022

Recently, steel-timber hybrid buildings have become prevalent worldwide because several advantages of both steel and timber structures are maintained in the hybrid system. In Taiwan, seismic design specification related to steel-timber hybrid buildings remains void. In this study, the ductility capacity of steel-timber hybrid buildings in Taiwanese seismic design specification is first proposed and evaluated using nonlinear incremental dynamic analysis (IDA). Three non-linear structural models, 12-story, 8-story, and 6-story steel-timer hybrid buildings were constructed using OpenSees. In each model, Douglas-fir was adopted to assemble the upper 4 stories as a timber structure while a conventional steel moment-resisting frame was designated in the lower part of the model. FEMA P-695 methodology was employed to perform IDAs considering 44 earthquakes to assess if the ductility capacity of steel-timber hybrid building is appropriate. The analytical results indicate that the current ductility capacity of steel moment-resisting frames can be directly applied to steel-timber hybrid buildings if the drift ratio of each story under the seismic design force for buildings in Taiwan is less than 0.3%. As a result, engineers are able to design a steel-timber hybrid building straightforwardly by following current design specification. Otherwise, the ductility capacity of steel-timber hybrid buildings must be modified which depends on further studies in the future.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.245-253
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• 2020

With the ever-increasing height of timber buildings, the complexity of timber as a structural material gives rise to behaviors not previously studied by engineers. An urgent call is needed regarding their performance in damage scenarios: activating alternative load paths in tall timber buildings is not the same as in tall buildings made with steel and concrete. In this paper we propose a robustness framework covering all building materials, whose application in timber may lead to new conceptual designs for the next generation of tall timber buildings. Qualitatively, the importance of building scale and the distinction between localized and systematic exposures are discussed, and how existing supertall structures can be an example for future generations of tall timber buildings. Quantitatively, the robustness index is introduced alongside a method to calculate the performance of a given building regarding robustness, in order to find the most cost-effective structural solutions for improved robustness. A three-level application recommendation is made, depending on the importance of the building in question. Primarily, the paper highlights the importance of conceptual design to achieve structural robustness and encourages the practicing engineering community to use the proposed framework to quantitatively come up with the new generation of tall timber buildings.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.14 no.5 s.52
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• pp.10-17
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• 2005

This Study is concerned with the acceptance of Western timber structure and the interior space of church buildings in the early modern period in Korea. Timber roofs have represented a wide variety of constructional forms and have been fundamental to any technological appraisal of the evolution of both of Western and Eastern architecture. Especially the roof structure of the church buildings reflects the technological level, aesthetic sense, and spacial concepts of the age. Between Western timber structure and Korean timber structure, there are many differences in not only structural form but also form of roof, members, load, frame system and etc. And there were various types of framing technique such as timber truss, timber arch, timber vault in the western style church architecture in the early modern period in Korea. I have summarized the character of the acceptance process of Western timber structure and the influences on the interior space of church buildings.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.137-143
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• 2023

The use of Engineered Wood Systems (EWS), especially mass-timber, as a structural alternative or complement to steel and concrete is gaining interest and acceptance across different sectors of architecture, engineering, and construction, including in high-rise buildings. Focussing on the Australian context, this study examines the levels of adoption and barriers to using timber as a primary structural material in multi-storey buildings. Data collected from semi-structured interviews with stakeholders at the forefront of adoption in structural design, construction, and property development indicates that timber in multi-storey projects in Australia still faces industry-wide challenges. Designers' awareness and attitudes towards timber adoption are generally positive and suitable for flagship projects, including tall buildings, but for enduring and widespread impact, long-term investment in education within and outside the range of stakeholders already committed to promoting timber adoption is needed.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.269-282
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• 2015

Civil structures should be designed with the lowest cost and longest lifetime possible and without service failure. The efficient and sustainable use of materials in building design and construction has always been at the forefront for civil engineers and environmentalists. Timber is one of the best contenders for these purposes particularly in terms of aesthetics; fire protection; strength-to-weight ratio; acoustic properties and seismic resistance. In recent years, timber has been used in commercial and taller buildings due to these significant advantages. It should be noted that, since the launch of the modern building standards and codes, a number of different structural systems have been developed to stabilise steel or concrete multistorey buildings, however, structural analysis of high-rise and multi-storey timber frame buildings subjected to lateral loads has not yet been fully understood. Additionally, timber degradation can occur as a result of biological decay of the elements and overloading that can result in structural damage. In such structures, the deficient members and joints require strengthening in order to satisfy new code requirements; determine acceptable level of safety; and avoid brittle failure following earthquake actions. This paper investigates performance assessment and damage assessment of older multi-storey timber buildings. One approach is to retrofit the beams in order to increase the ductility of the frame. Experimental studies indicate that Sprayed Fibre Reinforced Polymer (SFRP) repairing/retrofitting not only updates the integrity of the joint, but also increases its strength; stiffness; and ductility in such a way that the joint remains elastic. Non-linear finite element analysis ('pushover') is carried out to study the behaviour of the structure subjected to simulated gravity and lateral loads. A new global index is re-assessed for damage assessment of the plain and SFRP-retrofitted frames using capacity curves obtained from pushover analysis. This study shows that the proposed method is suitable for structural damage assessment of aged timber buildings. Also SFRP retrofitting can potentially improve the performance and load carrying capacity of the structure.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.87-93
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• 2020

Professionals who work in the realm of tall building design and construction are well aware that high-rises are the best solution for accommodating growing urban populations. Until recently, few would have thought to include tall wood buildings as part of that solution, but there is growing awareness that tall mass timber structures can help satisfy the need for density while addressing the need-equally urgent-for a more sustainable built environment. This paper examines the trend toward tall wood buildings in the United States, including their history and international influences, market drivers, structural performance, and economic viability, as well as building code changes that allow wood structures up to 18 stories. It highlights examples of mass timber projects, with an emphasis on benefits that impact return on investment.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.311-321
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• 2021

Perception of the public to structural fires is very important because there are only a number of tall timber buildings constructed in the world. People are hesitating to accept tall timber buildings, so it is essential to ensure the first generation of tall timber buildings to a very high standard, especially fire safety. Right now, there are no specific design standards or regulations for fire design of tall timber buildings in Europe. Even though heavy timber members have better fire resistance than steel components, many conditions still need to be verified before considering the use of timber materials, e.g. fire spread, post-fire collapse, etc. This research numerically explores the structural behaviours of a tall Glulam building when one of its internal Glulam (Glued laminated timber) columns fails after sustaining a full 120-min standard fire and is removed from the established finite element building model created in SAP2000. The numerical results demonstrate that the failure and removal of the selected internal Glulam column may lead to the local failure of the adjacent CLT (Cross laminated timber) floor slabs, but will not lead to large disproportionate damage and collapse of the whole building. Here, the building is assumed to be located in Glasgow, Scotland, UK.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.285-297
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• 2021

Fire safety is one of the most significant issues for the design of mid-rise and high-rise timber structures. A large number of experimental tests were conducted during the last three decades to investigate the fire performance of the dowel-type timber connections. Many influenced parameters (e.g. the thickness of the side timber, the load ratio, the fasteners type etc.) were considered in those experiments. Relevant calculated models were proposed by previous researchers to estimate the fire resistance of the connections. In this study, a series of experimental programs of dowel-type connections in fire are collected. Then, empirical formulas proposed by EN 1995-1-2, Fire safety in timber buildings, and previous researchers are presented and analyzed. The accuracy of those formulas is checked by comparisons between the experimental data and estimated results. The collected experimental research and empirical formulas can be used as the reference for the fire design of dowel-type timber connections in the future.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.255-260
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• 2020

This research and technology development project is based on the concept and plan of Sumitomo Forestry Co., Ltd., and designed by Nikken Sekkei Ltd., and is aiming to realize 350 m supertall timber-framed buildings in urban areas by 2041, the 350 year anniversary of Sumitomo Forestry's founding(Fig. 1). By constructing office-based multi-use buildings which have 70 stories above ground with GFA of 455,000 ㎡, using a huge amount of timber of 185,000 ㎥, this project envisions to connect forests and cities, and to solve the problems in both of forests and cities. At the present stage, the main objective is to identify the issues related to wood, such as building structural systems, construction methods, materials used, and resource development, and to create a roadmap for future technologies to be researched and developed.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.261-271
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• 2020

The 2020 National Building Code of Canada (NBC) and the 2021 International Building Code (IBC) both include Tall Wood Buildings (TWB) and are hailed as documents responsible for the proliferation of Mass Timber construction. Mass Timber construction is critical to reducing the carbon footprint of the construction industry; a sector acknowledged as being one of the greatest contributors of global annual CO₂ emissions. Origine, a 13-storey multi-residential building erected in 2017 in a previously unsuitable site, is currently the tallest all-wood building in North America. This article describes the challenges overcome by the designers and client as they engaged with code officials, building authorities, and fire-service representatives to demonstrate the life-safety performance of this innovative building. It also traces the development of the "Guide for Mass Timber Buildings of up to 12 Storeys" published in Quebec and how it has enabled other significant Tall Wood projects across North America.