Technical Guide for the Design and Construction of Tall Wood Buildings in Canada

New, updated 2022 Edition

The definitive guide for the mass timber design and construction of tall buildings has been updated to align with changes to national codes and standards. It builds on 12-storey mass timber gravity systems as an Acceptable Solution in the 2020 edition of the National Building Code, and targets supporting Alternative Solutions that will enable wood to be used beyond 12 storeys

This second edition replaces the first edition (2014), which was developed to support the Natural Resources Canada Tall Wood Building Demonstration Initiative. This multi-disciplinary, peer-reviewed guide has gained national and worldwide recognition as one of the most credible documents that has introduced the terms “mass timber construction” and “hybrid tall wood buildings” to the design and construction community, and to authorities having jurisdiction.

This updated guide brings together, under one cover, the experience gained from recently built tall wood projects, highlights from the most recent building codes and standards, and research findings to help achieve the best environmental, structural, fire, and durability performance of mass timber products and systems, including their health benefits.

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All chapters from the 2014 edition have been revised and updated based
on the most up-to-date research and code modifications and comply with the recently published 2020 National Building Code of Canada, the 2019 edition of the CSA standard O86, and the Canadian Wood Council Wood Design Manual 2020.

  • Chapter 1: Introduction
  • Chapter 2: The building as a system
  • Chapter 3: Cost and value
  • Chapter 4: Sustainability
  • Chapter 5: Structural and serviceability (including major sections on conceptual design, design considerations and input parameters for connections and assemblies, structural analysis and design, and building sound insulation and floor vibration control)
  • Chapter 6: Fire safety and protection
  • Chapter 7: Building enclosure design
  • Chapter 8: Project execution (design, prefabrication, and construction consideration)
  • Chapter 9: Monitoring and maintenance

Building with wood: FPInnovations' library of guides

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