Nashville is getting its first large-scale mass timber structure in the form of two office buildings, up to 5 storeys tall, as part of a larger mixed use development.

A feature of the building is the gable roofs, which will create a beautiful vaulted space that will also highlight the warmth of wood from the exterior.

The floor and roof decks use structural, prefabricated DLT panels supported by a Glulam post and beam frame. The mass timber superstructure is anchored back to centrally located concrete cores which transfer lateral loads down to the foundations.

Here we are again bringing our knowledge and experience in the engineering and building of beautiful and efficient mass timber structures.

Engineering for Efficiency

As with many mass timber buildings, the key early design considerations were size of column grid, routing of MEP, and integration of the facade/edge support with the timber structure.

We joined the project team and provided engineering value propositions for these items, driving for efficiency while maintaining the architectural intent.

Given the varying column grid size (up to 24’x30′), we proposed a purlin framing system to economize on material and simplify connection while also providing “chases” for the mechanical ducts.

On Building A, the purlins are flush-framed with the primary beams, while on Building B the purlins run above the primary beams to provide space for MEP ducts.

The top floor on both buildings is characterized by vaulted ceilings, showing the exposed DLT ceiling. The DLT also acts as the roof diaphragm.

Fabrication

DLT panels fabricated up to 54′ long in our fully automated DLT Mass Timber Manufacturing facility.

Installation

The gable roof involved creative structural engineering from our team to efficiently solve the complexities of the geometry. The intricate CNC machining of the DLT and Glulam creates a beautiful, vaulted mass timber interior space.

See the images >>

Source: Structure Craft