One of the most fundamental decisions facing a multi-family design team is choosing the building’s structural material. While dominant in single family residential construction, the cost-effective, code compliant and sustainable attributes of wood construction apply to mid-rise multi-family projects too. This course explores the reasons for the increasing popularity of wood in multifamily buildings, reviews code compliance and fire safety technical considerations, and discusses techniques for successful wood building designs. In addition, it addresses trends expanding the opportunities for wood use in multi-story design.
Learning Objectives
- Identify the sustainability and economic benefits of using wood construction for mid-rise multifamily or mixed-use buildings.
- Summarize building code requirements and provisions for mid-rise multi-family wood-frame structures.
- Discuss wood framing solutions that address issues such as shrinkage, fire protection and seismic requirements while minimizing the carbon footprint of the building.
- Explore innovations in wood framing design techniques and wood product technologies that enhance energy efficiency.
Pre-Requisite: Basic knowledge of wood construction.