Finding the Key: Designing Timber Connections for CLT Panels

<p>In a climate where standard methods of construction are being challenged, developments in engineered timbers are allowing mass timber construction to be explored as a sustainable alternative to traditional building methods. Cross- laminated timber (CLT) is at the forefront of this evolution and, with the advancement in computational design and digital fabrication tools, there lies an opportunity to redefine standard construction. This project explores how digital modelling and advance digital fabrication can be combined to generate a connection system for CLT panels. The advantages of CLT and mass timber construction are numerous and range from environmental and aesthetic benefits to site safety and cost reduction benefits. There are, however, issues that remain surrounding the connections between CLT panels. Steurer (2006, p.136) stated that, “Progress in engineered timber construction is directly related to developments in connector technology.” This thesis creates connections inspired by traditional Japanese joinery that have been adapted to be used for the panel construction of CLT structures. Using CLT offcuts as a primary connection material, the system not only reduces waste but also mitigates thermal bridging and lowers the number of connection points whilst increasing the ease of building and fabrication. The connections are first considered at a detail scale. They use the literature review and case studies as a base for design before being tested using digitally fabricated prototypes. These prototypes are evaluated against a framework created in line with the aforementioned criteria. Within this framework, the connections are analysed against existing connection systems as well as previous designs to establish a successful system. The connections are then evaluated within the context of a building scale and considers large-scale fabrication and on- site assembly whilst continuing to focus on the reduction of waste. This research found that the simplicity of the connections is key to a successful system as this allows for faster and cheaper fabrication and installation. However, there is still further research needed surrounding large-scale fabrication and the structural capacity of timber connection systems.</p>

Finding the Key: Designing Timber Connections for CLT Panels

<p>In a climate where standard methods of construction are being challenged, developments in engineered timbers are allowing mass timber construction to be explored as a sustainable alternative to traditional building methods. Cross- laminated timber (CLT) is at the forefront of this evolution and, with the advancement in computational design and digital fabrication tools, there lies an opportunity to redefine standard construction. This project explores how digital modelling and advance digital fabrication can be combined to generate a connection system for CLT panels. The advantages of CLT and mass timber construction are numerous and range from environmental and aesthetic benefits to site safety and cost reduction benefits. There are, however, issues that remain surrounding the connections between CLT panels. Steurer (2006, p.136) stated that, “Progress in engineered timber construction is directly related to developments in connector technology.” This thesis creates connections inspired by traditional Japanese joinery that have been adapted to be used for the panel construction of CLT structures. Using CLT offcuts as a primary connection material, the system not only reduces waste but also mitigates thermal bridging and lowers the number of connection points whilst increasing the ease of building and fabrication. The connections are first considered at a detail scale. They use the literature review and case studies as a base for design before being tested using digitally fabricated prototypes. These prototypes are evaluated against a framework created in line with the aforementioned criteria. Within this framework, the connections are analysed against existing connection systems as well as previous designs to establish a successful system. The connections are then evaluated within the context of a building scale and considers large-scale fabrication and on- site assembly whilst continuing to focus on the reduction of waste. This research found that the simplicity of the connections is key to a successful system as this allows for faster and cheaper fabrication and installation. However, there is still further research needed surrounding large-scale fabrication and the structural capacity of timber connection systems.</p>

"Balloon to Platform Framing": a change of the 1880s?

Brett's Colonists' Guide and Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge: Being a Compendium of Information by Practical Colonists, edited by Thomas W. Leys, was first published in 1883. Rated, in 1993 in a National Library Exhibition, as one of the 21 "Working Titles" that had shaped New Zealand, it provided "all Information of possible use" to new arrivals. This included how to build your own cottage – providing floor plans, a material list and an estimate of labour for four cottages (increasing to five cottages complete with a set of written specifications in the 1897 edition). These designs and quantities provide a unique opportunity to explore changes in the technology of New Zealand house construction.It has been hypothesised that in the 1890s timber construction shifted from balloon to platform framing – the basic style still used for timber framed houses. The paper will report research that examined import statistics, business records and quinquennial national censuses to explore indirect measures of changes in construction technology. It is concluded that this change occurred in the previous decade, the 1880s.