The recent trend in timber-framed architecture may just be beginning.

The recent trend in timber-framed architecture may just be beginning.SOM?s Timber Tower Research Project has passed a major milestone as the structural system has successfully completed strength testing that validate initial calculations. Launched in 2013, The Timber Tower Research project was established with the goal of developing a new structural system for skyscrapers that uses timber as its primary material. Using these techniques, the research team estimates that the embodied carbon footprint of buildings can be reduced by 60 to 75 percent when compared to a benchmark concrete building.

Courtesy of SOM

The proposed solution, called the Concrete Jointed Timber Frame, utilizes mass timber as the main structural elements, reinforcing weak points at connections with reinforced concrete. To validate the system?s potential, SOM partnered with Oregon State University to put the system through a rigorous testing program that has involved nearly 20 tests of varying sizes and configurations. After successful testing of the final full-scale mock-up, SOM has concluded that there is ?strong evidence that the timber-concrete composite system can satisfy code requirements and compete with traditional construction methods.?
Courtesy of SOM

The 36 foot by 8 foot specimen, modeled after the typical size of a structural bay, was constructed out of a Cross-Laminate ...