Challenges invite innovation to sprout and develop. The NEB group (a consortium consisting of Nordic Structures, EBC, and Synchro Immobilier) developed their first project, Origine at Pointe-Aux Liveres Ecocondos in Quebec City, to be the tallest building entirely made of wood at its time. The unique building design consists of a floating concrete foundation with a 13-storey building entirely made of wood. The special design coupled light weight precut & prefabricated mass timber elements to enable the construction team to erect the building in just 4 months!
Due to the building’s ground-breaking design, the need to develop new load bearing systems, such as the gravity loading resisting system and lateral load resting system, was required to meet/exceed code. Most important of all, the team needed to ensure that the building meets/exceeds the fire safety code. By leveraging wood’s natural ability to char, the team was able to size the CLT wood element to protect the fasteners and connectors within with 1 hour of fire resistance, capping the wood elements in between two layers of Type X gypsum provided and additional hour of fire resistance. The result yielded at least two hours of fire resistance for the load bearing system, including connections and assemblies.
Origine at Pointe-Aux Livers Ecocondos, has created a paradigm shift of how wood can be used as a building material and what it can do to create a sustainable future.
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