UBC Branches out into Tall Wood Structures Using BIM

Tall wood structures have been cropping up all over the news lately. Although it can be off-putting to designers that current building regulations can limit how tall these structures are, the technology behind building a skyscraper of wood is improving.

As a material, wood has a sustainable aspect that can’t really be denied, so it’s no wonder that these structures are putting down roots in various countries, including the U.S. and Canada, to prove that they can stand tall.

One of these buildings is the Brock Commons student residence at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The 174-ft, 18-story building is a collaborative effort between Acton Ostry Architects Inc., structural engineering consulting firm Fast + Epp, tall wood advisor Architekten Hermann Kaufmann and prefab provider Structurlam—and it recently became the tallest mass wood, steel and concrete hybrid structure to date.

 

At the Building’s Core

One of the biggest issues with widespread use of wood in tall building construction is the limitation on height. Due to concerns about structural stability, the American Wood Council and the International Code Council currently limit wood structures to a maximum of six stories above grade, depending on occupancy type.

To reach its height of 18 stories, Brock Commons used a slightly different approach. It follows in the shoes of the supertall…