In recent years, timber construction has surpassed its previous limit of two or three stories to create buildings of much greater height. This is not only due to wood's intrinsic strength, stability, and flexibility, but also to a number of new technologies that have further increased its performance, including cross-laminated timber (CLT), nail laminated timber (NLT) and glued laminated timber (glulam).
In order to inform architects, engineers, developers, industry professionals, students, and other interested parties, reThink Wood has launched the reThink Wood Research Library, an online and open resource that will be updated frequently with information about the latest product and timber construction systems around the world, as well as showing where there are gaps that could be covered in the future.
"Wood buildings are durable and can be designed to last a lifetime. As documented in the reThink Wood Research Library, a growing body of research, real-life events and building code development continue to prove that mass timber structures can meet or exceed the most demanding design requirements. Wood is inherently ductile and substantially lighter than steel and concrete, making wood structures better equipped to withstand high wind and seismic forces, enabling its use in a wide range of building types," they assure.
In the main menu of the library, users can find a research search engine, a gallery of projects, design tools, and educational resources. In addition, the library includes a series of videos with comments from experts, which in recent editions has discussed fire safety, seismic resistance, and durability.
Explore the tool here.
