Multi-Story Wood Construction
Mastering Wood Construction Design
As with any other type of construction, mastering the technical details of wood-frame construction is critical to creating cost-effective buildings that are safe and durable. Building codes require all building systems to perform to the same level of safety, regardless of material used, and wood-frame structures can be designed to meet or exceed standards for (among other things) fire protection, seismic performance and resistance to high winds.
The following pages will provide an overview of technical considerations related to the design, safety and structural performance of mid-rise wood buildings, as well as two trends that are expanding the opportunities for wood use in multi-story design.
DENSITY, COST AND PERFORMANCE
Project: Stella
Location: Marina del Rey, California
Architect: DesignARC
Engineer: Taylor & Syfan Consulting Engineers
Owner: Merlone Geier Partners
Developer: GLJ Partners
Size: Two buildings, 650,466 square feet (total), 244 units
Type of construction: IIIA and VA
Year of completion: 2013
Until a few years ago, it was fairly uncommon for an architect to go beyond four stories with wood-frame construction. Today, many designers choose five stories of wood over concrete podiums as a way to cost-effectively increase the density of projects.
“It seems that all of the newer projects here in southern California are going taller, and they're all being built in wood,” said Tony Ditteaux, partner and vice president for GLJ Partners, developer and general contractor of Stella. “As developers, we're trying to maximize our height and the number of units we can get on a site. Wood allows us to do that quickly and affordably.”
GLJ did a quick analysis and found that wood framing was the most cost-effective option. Prefabricating part of the project off-site—another trend—brought the costs down further, saving 1-2 months of construction time and a few hundred thousand dollars.
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