About the author  ⁄ Scott Breneman, Ph.D., P.E., S.E.

Scott Breneman is Senior Technical Director – Mass Timber with WoodWorks – Wood Products Council (scott.breneman@woodworks.org).

Using SDPWS 2021 and ASCE 7-16

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) has become increasingly prominent in building construction and can be seen in buildings worldwide (Figure 1). Specifically, CLT floor and roof panels have become relatively commonplace as a primary gravity force-resisting component. Now, with the availability of the 2021 Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic (SDPWS 2021) from the American Wood Council (AWC), U.S. designers have a standardized path to utilize CLT floor and roof panels as a structural diaphragm.

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Part 2: Wood Diaphragm and Shear Wall Flexibility

Important design considerations and traditional approaches related to the design of a five-story wood-framed structure over a two-story concrete or masonry podium were addressed in Part 1 of this series (January 2017, STRUCTURE). The goal of this article is to help engineers better understand flexibility issues associated with these types of structures and how they can affect the design process.

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Increased availability of cross-laminated timber (CLT) in North America, combined with successful use in projects worldwide, has generated interest in its properties and performance within the U.S. design community. With the inclusion of CLT in the 2015 International Building Code (IBC) and 2015 National Design Specification® (NDS®) for Wood Construction, curiosity is evolving, with some developers, architects and structural engineers using CLT in projects.
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