Construction of the tallest timber structure in the world has been completed.
Measuring in at 18 stories and 53 metres tall, the structure of Brock Commons in Vancouver was finished nearly four months ahead of schedule, suggesting the advantages of constructing tall buildings with wood.
Just 70 days after the prefabricated timber components were delivered to the site, construction of the interior will now commence, with an expected completion date in May 2017. In full, construction time will be at a speed 18 per cent faster than a traditional project.
Brock Commons rises above other timber-structured buildings such as the 10-storey Forte in Docklands, Victoria by Lendlease Design. Completed in 2012, the building, using cross-laminated timber (CLT) was Australia’s first timber high rise building, and the tallest in the world at the time.
CLT is used around the world as an alternative to concrete and steel for all or part of a building’s construction. It is basically formed as timber panels that are fabricated by bonding solid-sawn timber together in transverse and longitudinal layers with structural adhesives.
It is said to provide strength and stiffness properties similar to reinforced concrete and, depending on timber species and method of assembly, have much lower embodied energy consumption than many other building processes, like the production of steel and concrete.
