Building with Wood Archives • Building Fundamentals

Not everyone can be on a construction site when a mass timber building gets constructed. Fortunately for us - and with deep gratitude to UMass Amherst and the contractor Suffolk Construction - we were able to do just that when the John W. Olver Design building at UMass Amherst was being built in 2016-17. During construction, I would position my Brinno timelapse camera at crucial locations throughout the site that allowed me to record the action up-close. What resulted from this is a collection of over 200 daily timelapse videos that are all contained in the video that is embedded below. All you need to do is click "Play" and then lean back and watch the entire construction unfold in front of your eyes. With a total running time of 1 h 12 m this is a nice movie-replacement. In these videos, you can see up-close how the structure was erected by placing and fastening columns, beams, and CLT slabs. You can...

Yesterday I came across this very nice looking wayfinding sign in a recently constructed building. As you can see, it is a beautiful use of material (solid wood) that adds a contrasting warmth to an otherwise very contemporary design. One thing I noticed, however, was that the panel was cupping (as you can see in the left image below). Wayfinding sign, made from a laminated panel Closeup of grain orientation Upon closer inspection (a high-contrast version is also added here), you can see what the issue is: Some of the boards that were laminated into this panel were cut plainsawn. As explained in Chapter 5, this can lead to shrinkage on the bark side of the board and therefore cupping of the piece, which can even deform an entire laminated board like we see here. Overall, this is not a major issue and most people will likely not have noticed this when passing the sign. But it is a great reminder that it is...

Category: Building with Wood

Watch a Mass Timber Building Being Constructed

Always consider wood grain orientation!