Final Portfolio

WOOD

STRUCTURAL MATERIALS RESEARCH

STUDIO 703

ARCH 3501 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO 4 LAURA LOPEZ + JOSE SANCHEZ COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY - FALL 2008

WOOD

In order to better understand the properties of wood and its uses, we researched different types of wood as well as wood products & by products. Wood is made up of 50% carbon, 44 % oxygen, and 6% hydrogen. There are two different categories of wood, softwoods and hardwoods. Under these categories there are many species and even more sub species of wood. Dependent on the species, or subspecies, wood is used in construction, as fuel, as commerical products, or as food.

TYPES + PRODUCTS

species of wood

Maple

Beech

Oak

Teak

Dark Red Meranti

Grow approximately 10-40 meters tall Grown in Asia, Europe, North America, & Northern Africa Hard maple is used in bowling pins, alleys, cue sticks and butcher blocks

Grows approximately 20-35 meters tall Grows in North America & Europe Used primarily for framing & flooring Tough but dimensionally unstable

Grows approximately 18-55 meters tall Grown in Northern Hemisphere Highly resistant to fungal & insect attacks

Grow approximately 30-40 meters tall Grown in South & Southeast Asia Used for flooring & veneer

Grows up to 84 meters in height Grown in Malaysia, Indonesia, & Phillipines High class joinery, frames, & doors

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

Hardwoods

species of ood

Merbau

Robinia

Ekki

Grows up to 50 meters in height Grown in Southeast Asia & Islands in the Pacific Ocean Very durable & termite resistant

Grows approximately 4-25 meters tall Grown in North America & Northern Mexico Used for making fences, railroad ties, & posts

Grows 16-24 meters tall Grown in tropical or subtropical moist lowland forests Used primarily for railway track ties

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

Hardwoods

species of wood

Douglas Fir

Spruce

Scots Pine

European Larch

Pine

Grows approximately 20-120 meters tall Grown in North America, Mexico, & Eastern Asia Withstands high loads well

Grows approximately 20-95 meters tall Grown in Northern temperate climates Used primarily in paper manufacture

Grows up to 25 meters in height Grown in Euopre, Asia, Great Britain, Spain, & Siberia Used for general construction work

Grows approximately 20-120 meters tall Grown in Europe, Alps, Carpathians, Poland, & Lithuania Used in fencing

Grows approximately 3-80 meters tallGrown in Northern Hemisphere Used for high value carpentry items

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

softwoods

species of wood

Fir

Western Hemlock

Western Red Cedar

Grows approximately 10-80 meters tall Grows in North and Central America, Europe, Asia, & North Africa General timber use

Grows approximately 50-70 meters tall Grown in North America Used in timber & paper production

Grows approximately 50-75 meters tall Growns in North America & Canada Highly resistant to decay

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

softwoods

Solid Wood Products

Solid Structural Timber KVH

Four Piece Beam

Trio Beam

Solid Softwood Section

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

Board

Solid Wood Products

Rod

Glue Laminated Timber

Profiled Boards

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

Solid Hardwood Section

Wood Based Products

5 Ply Core Plywood

Plywood

Structural Veneer Lumber

Laminated Veneer Lumber

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

3 Ply Core Plywood

Wood Based Products

Oriented Strandboard

Particleboard

Wood-Wool Slab

Hardboard

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

Blockboard

Wood Based Products

Porous Wood Fibreboard

Bitumen Wood Fibreboard

Plasterboard

Cement Fibreboard

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

Medium Board

WOOD

Reciprocal frame structures are three dimensional used primarily in roof structrues. It consists of radiating beams supported by a ring beam, cloumns, or an external wall. As a result of this structural composition, the outer edges of the neams form an outer polygon or circle. Early examples of reciprocal frame construction include Eskimo tents, Indian tepees and Hogan dwellings. Over time as mathematics developed, more possibilities were provided for the use of reciprocal framing.

RECIPROCAL FRAME

RECIPROCAL FRAME

reciprocal frames

Only the outer end of each beam requires supprot which will normalyl be a post used for the wall. The roof loads are transferred to these posts and in turn to the supporting foundation.

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

The reciprocal frame is a roof structure where each beam both supports and is suported by other beams in the roof structure. A minimum of 3 breams is required to create a recirpocal roof. As each beam supports the next in a reciprocal manner no internal support is necessary.

plan & elevation

plan & elevation

Inner radius of 1

Inner radius of 2

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

RECIPROCAL FRAME

plan & elevation

plan & elevation

Inner radius of 3

Inner raidus of 4

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

RECIPROCAL FRAME

WOOD

A truss is composed of triangles because of the structural stability of that shape. A triangle is the simplest geometric figure that will not change shape, or angles, when the lengths of the sides are fixed. In comparison, both the angles and the lengths of a square must be fixed for it to retain its shape. The depth of a truss, or the height between the upper and lower chords, is what creates an efficient structural form. For a given span length, a deeper truss will require less material in the chords and greater material in the verticals and diagonals. An optimum depth of the truss will maximize the efficiency.

TRUSSES

FLAT HOWE FLAT PRATT

FLAT WARREN LOW SLOPING Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

TRUSSES

CANTILEVERED MANSARD

DOUBLE CANTILEVERED WITH PARAPET

TOP HUNG FLAT

SLOPING PARALLEL CORD Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

TRUSSES

TRI BEARING DOUBLE CANTILEVER

DUAL SLOPE CLERESTORY Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

TRUSSES

POLYNESIAN GAMBREL

KINGPOST QUEEN POST (fAN) Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

TRUSSES

FINK HOWE

FAN MODIFIED QUEEN Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

TRUSSES

DOUBLE FINK DOUBLE HOWE

MODIFIED FAN TRIPLE FINK Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

TRUSSES

HOWE SCISSORS DOUBLE HOWE SCISSORS

H3201 H2202 Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

TRUSSES

M32 MONO

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

TRUSSES

MONO SCISSORS

WOOD

In researching wood products and byproducts, we researched engineered wood as a possible material type. Engineered wood is also known as composite wood, man-made-wood or manufactured wood. Products of engineered wood include a range of derivative wood products which are manufactured by binding together the strands, particles, fibers, or veneers of woods, together with adhesives, to form these composite materials. Engineered woods offer a wide variety of uses, dimensions, and applications. As a result, engineered woods have revoluntionzed the wood industry.

ENGINEERED WOOD

ENGINEERED WOOD

LAMINATED VENEER LUMBER

Laminated Veneer Lumber products are typically used for headers, beams, rim

board, and edge-forming material. The I-Joist is a product of LVL. These joists work similar to solid woods, yet provide a stronger support system while using less material. These joists are similarly installed as solid wood products.

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

Laminated veneer lumber (LVL) is an engineered wood product that uses multiple layers of thin wood assembled with various adhesives. It offers several advantages over typical milled lumber: it is stronger, straighter, and a lot more uniform. It is much less likely than conventional lumber to warp, twist, bow, or shrink due to its composite nature. Produced in a factory under controlled specifications, LVL products allow customers to reduce the on-site labor. It is similar in appearance to plywood without cross bands, and is typically rated by the manufacturer for elastic modulus and allowable bending stress. Common elastic moduli are 1.8, 1.9, and 2.0 million psi, and common allowable bending stress values are at 2800 and 3000 psi.

ENGINEERED WOOD

PARALLAM

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

Parallam is made from nearly all of the wood on the log using veneer strands, which are aligned parallel for maximum strength. The end product is a rectangular beam; that which is longer, thicker, and stronger than the conventional solid-sawn lumber. Similar to Laminated Veneer Lumber, Parallam woods are often used as beams, headers, columns, and posts, among others uses.

ENGINEERED WOOD

GLULAM

SHEFFIELD WINTER GARDENS

Glued laminated timber, also known as gluelam or glulam, is a type of structural timber product composed of several layers of dimensioned lumber glued together. By laminating several smaller pieces of wood, a single large, strong, structural member can be manufactured from smaller lumber. These structural members are usually used as vertical columns or horizontal beams, often in curved, arching shapes.

Sheffield, England

As seen on the images above, two glulam beams are used to complete the entire spand of the structure. Not only do they provide the structural support, but they are aldo incorporated into the design.

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

Glued laminated timber, like other engineered wood products, represent an efficient use of available timber. With an increased demand for lumber worldwide, the amount of solid timber available has steadily declined. Glulam structural members thus make use of smaller and less desirable dimensions of timber, yet are engineered to be stronger than similarly sized members comprised of solid wood.

The building has background frost protection to minimum of 4 degrees Celsius and it is one of the largest Glulam buildings in the UK. The wood used is Larch, a durable timber which will turn a light silvery grey color over time. The larch, which derived from sustainable forests, requires no preservatives or coatings. This reduces the use of solvents and also avoids the use of chemicals that could kill the plants inside.

WOOD

Woodworking involves joining together pieces of wood to create furniture, structures, architectural details, toys, and other items. Some wood joints employ fasteners, bindings, or adhesives, while others use only wood elements. The characteristics of wooden joints, strength, flexibility, toughness, etc., derive from the properties of the joining materials and from how they are used in the joints. Therefore, different joinery techniques are used to meet differing requirements

WOODWORKING + JOINERY

WOODWORKING

Many traditional wood joinery techniques use the distinctive material properties of wood, often without resorting to mechanical fasteners or adhesives. Many wood joinery techniques either depend upon or compensate for the fact that wood is anisotropic: its material properties are different along different dimensions. Wood is stronger when stressed along the grain (longitudinally) than it is when stressed across the grain (radially and tangentially). Wood also expands and contracts in

response to humidity, usually much less so longitudinally than in the radial and tangential directions. Japanese and Chinese craftsman have mastered and have led the usage of woodworking techniques; whether it be used to make furniture or for architecture. Both cultures have woodworking traditions that include hundreds of types of joints, many of which do not use glue or nails to hold in place. Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

Woodworking involves joining together pieces of wood to create furniture, structures, architectural details, toys, and other items. Some wood joints employ fasteners, bindings, or adhesives, while others use only wood elements. The characteristics of wooden joints, strength, flexibility, toughness, etc., derive from the properties of the joining materials and from how they are used in the joints. Therefore, different joinery techniques are used to meet differing requirements

BUTT JOINT

HALF LAP JOINT

DADO JOINT

MORTISE & TENON JOINT

BISCUIT JOINT

Joinery technique in which two members are cut to the appropriate length and are joined by simply butting them together. Reinforcements must be used, such as dowels or nails, even so, it is the weakest of all the joints.

Material is removed from each of the members so resulting joint is the thickness of the thickest member. Most commonly in half lap joints, the members are of the same thickness and half the thickness of each is removed

A slot or trench cut into the surface of the first member to match the end of the other. A dado is cut across, or perpendicular to, the grain and is thus differentiated from a groove which is cut with, or parallel to, the grain.

The end of the first member, called the tenon, is usually narrowed with respect to a hole of the second piece. The first member is inserted into the hole of the second member, called the mortise. The joint may be glued, pinned, or wedged to lock it in place.

A mortice is cut on each member, each located the correct distance from the face of the joint in both members. A biscuit is then inserted with some glue and the members brought together, aligned and clamped. The biscuit absorbs some moisture from the glue and swells up in the mortice, creating a tightly fitting joint.

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

WOODWORKING

MITER JOINT

BRIDLE JOINT

DOVETAIL JOINT

RABBET JOINT

MILLED CORNER JOINT

Joint made by beveling each of two parts to be joined, usually at a 45° angle, to form a corner of a certain angle. A mitered joint may be reinforeced with a spline, which works similar to a biscuit in a biscuit joint.

Similar to a mortise and tenon; a tenon is narrowed on the end of one member and a mortise is cut into the other to accept it. The difference is that the tenon and the mortise are cut to the full width of the tenon member.

Consists of a series of pins cut to extend from the end of one board, interlocking with a series of tails cut into the end of the second board. The pins and tails usually have a trapezoidal shape, allowing the dovetail to be great in tensile strength. Once glued, a wooden dovetail joint requires no mechanical fasteners.

Consists of a recess or groove cut into the edge of one member. The position of the rabbet cut depends on where someone wants the half-section of grained end to appear. With this joint, the grained end of one member is completely hidden.

Similar to a Dado and a Mortice and Tenon joints. Groves are cut precisely on both members in order to interlock or slide together. The milled corner joint creates a corner with no end grain visible. One of the stronger joints.

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

WOODWORKING

WOOD

In order to understand the limitations of wood, we researched specific architect’s projects in wood including Shigeru Ban, Tado Ando, and Kengo Kuma.

ARCHITECT’S + WOOD

TADAO ANDO

JAPAN PAVILION EXPO ‘92

Japan presented at Expo 1992, a pavillion considered the largest wooden building in the world. It was a proposed four-storey building with wooden beams and columns. On the outside Iroko wood, from Africa, was used, while the interior is combined with Canadian fir ceilings covered with teflon and steel. Visitors would come into the second floor crossing a bridge, intended to symbolize the transit between the bank of Japan to the traditional bank of the modern era. From the top floor visitors descend through several exhibition halls. Ando wasnted to highlight the term "kinari" (Nature in origin), as a beginning and the source of the Japanese culture. It was represented as a reproduction of the Azuchi Castle, when Japan made its first contact with European civilization.

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

Seville, Spain

TADAO ANDO

MUSEUM OF WOOD

Isolated in a solitary position in the heart of the Mikata-gun forest, the Museum of Wood was built to celebrate the National Tree Festival. The museum is a declared homage to the huge task of reconstruction of the forest resources of which Japan is now justifiably proud, and the fact that it is constructed almost entirely out of wood demonstrates the Japanese veneration for this product of nature that underlies the country's traditional concept of what architecture is. Built of wood with a steel frame and reinforced concrete, the museaum features a ring-shaped exhibit hall with a 46 meter outer diameter and a 22 meter void within. Locally milled Hyogo cedar was used for the posts and beams. The enormous

laminated wood columns, which rise to a height of 16 meters, are arranged in a manner that recalls the forest.

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

Mikata, Hyogo, Japan

KENGO KUMA

“You could say that my aim is 'to recover the place, the place is a result of nature and time, this is the most important aspect. I think my architecture is some kind of frame of nature with it we can experience nature more deeply and more intimately. Transparency is a characteristic of japanese architecture, I try to use light.” ---Kengo Kuma GREAT (BAMBOO) WALL Beijing, China

In contrast to that, however, bamboo is used in a manner of original form. Therefore, bamboo is a material and a product at the same time. The project talks about disposition of the material (particles) rather than processing of the material that creates a piece of architecture. It is by coincidence that the particles of bamboo are positioned with some order in this case. These particles can easily retrieve their true essence once the order is scattered around as in a natural environment.

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

The purpose of this project was to re-discover and re-express the true essence of Japanese architecture through bamboo as both a structural and non-structual element. The use of bamboo was based on the fact that bamboo, as a piece of raw material, denies to be processed compared to other wood products.

KENGO KUMA

YUSUHARA TOWN HALL Yusuhara, Takaoka, Kochi Prefecture, Japan

Local Japanese cedar was used fully to the regulations, which made possible to create a double lattice girder structure with an 18 meter long span. While making it possible to visualize how cedar structural parts sustain the structure, as seen in the images, this building aims to build an architecture capable of making people reconfirm the excellence of Japanese wooden structures.

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

The town of Yusuhara, known for its urban development using “Japanese Cedar”, has a new starting point for its community with the “Kino-machi Hall” (Town Hall), the largest scaled “Wooden” town hall in Japan.

SHIGERU BAN

PAPER CHURCH Nagata-ku, Kobe, Japan

form a continuous, unified space between the interior and exterior.

The plan(10 x 15m) is enclosed within a skin of corrugated, polycarbonate sheeting. Within this, 58 paper tubes (325mm in diameter, 14.8mm thick, and 5m high), were placed in an elliptical pattern. The eclipse is based on those in Bernini’s church designs, and the space between the eclipse and the outer edge of rectangularshaped site formed a corridor and provided lateral support. At the entrance to the eclipse, the spacing of the paper tubes was widened, and the facade fully glazed to

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

This community center was built by church volunteers whose house of worship was destroyed by Kobe earthquake in 1995. Materials were donated by a number of companies, and construction was completed in only five weeks by the 160 volunteers.

SHIGERU BAN

PAPER TEMPORARY STUDIO

The temporary structure is conceived as one whole continuous space. The different zones are created by partial partitioning formed by tall shelving units. The space is sub-divided into successive areas: reception hall, conference room, work space, rest zone and model workshop. The whole structure, vault and base, is covered by a system of external membrane in PTFE (Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene) in strict accordance with current fire regulations that provides the water-proofing. The two lateral facades and gables are in timber structure and infill panels. The temporary structure is a tubular space of 34.5 meters in length and 4.4 meters

in width. The circular vault space is entirely covered in its length by a waterproof membrane and panel system that is supported on a system of cylindrical ribs. These are made of 29 semi-circular arches, equal in length, and a network of transversal wind-bracing elements. The arches are at 1.2 meter intervals. The ribs are made of paper tubes, inside 120 mm diameter, 760mm external diameter.

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

Paris, France

SHIGERU BAN

"It is a very interesting contrast, the Roman stone bridge and the paper bridge. Paper too can be permanent, can be strong and lasting. We need to get rid of these prejudices," ---Ban PAPER BRIDGE

Placed over the Gardon River in southern France, half a mile from the Pont du Gard, it reaches over the water to a sandy islet mid-river. Designed by Architect Shigeru Ban, two dozen French architecture students and three from Japan built the bridge as a month-long project. The cardboard-tube bridge was load tested with balloons filled with 1.5 tonnes of water, calculated to be strong enough to carry 20 people at a time. Weighing at 7.5 tonnes, the bridge is made from 281 cardboard tubes, each 11.5 centimeters (four inches) across and 11.9 millimeters thick. The steps are made of recycled paper and plastic and the foundations were wooden boxes packed with sand.

The bridge was opened to the public for six weeks, which then was dismantled for the rainy season.

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

Nimes, France

WOOD

Starting with miniature models, we experimented with basic reciprocal frame structures, making woodworking joints and began to work on a larger scale. Using information gathered from the study of trusses, previous experiments with different types of materials, and lessons from failures, we began to construct the first model of Shigeru Ban’s paper bridge. This chapter shows the progression from miniature preceding experiments through the final model.

DESIGNS & TRIALS

HOWE SCISSORS

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

MINIATURE TRIALS

DOUBLE HOWE SCISSORS

TRUSS STUDY

Structural Material Research Catalog: WOOD Laura Lopez + Jose Sanchez

trials

joint work

bridge STUDY

DESIGN & TRIALS

Materials used: 63 cardboard mailing tubes, 25 pvc connections, and nearly 150 nuts and bolts. The following images show the types of connections used. PVC was glued together with Wings-n-Things glue, containing Cyanoacrylate. Each tube had a bolt on each

of their sides, with exception of one side which had two on each side for a stronger joint.

DESIGN & TRIALS

Zip-ties were added to strengthen the join connection.

DESIGN & TRIALS

Section twists as seen on following images, this twist is made of 16 triangular sections.