Boston's First CLT Building | 201 Hampden St. | Roxbury

[reverend_paco]

I am surprised that this would be the first in Boston. I know that UMass Amherst has a building with significant manufactured timber. Let's hope this is the first of many.

In A First, Boston Building Will Be Constructed With 'Revolutionary' Timber

The use of what some researchers call a "revolutionary" type of timber could help reduce emissions that cause climate change, create affordable housing and jumpstart a new industry in New England.

www.wbur.org

The first CLT building in Boston will be constructed in a small, triangle-shaped lot locked behind a rusting chainlink fence on Hampden Street in Roxbury.

Architect John Klein, CEO of Generate Technologies, stands on the sidewalk in front of the site. His digital design team, trained at MIT, is leading the CLT construction disruption in Massachusetts.

“Yeah, looking at the site, getting excited. That’s the beauty of design,” Klein says. “What you see is dumpsters and weeds and turn it into something magnificent for the area. It becomes a catalyst.”

In a matter of weeks, using cross-laminated timber panels made in a factory in Montreal, Klein’s design will turn this site into a five-story, 14-unit building with ground floor commercial space.

 

[stefal]

 

[JumboBuc]

One of the comments in that article points out that 69 A St was also built with CLT last year.

Bryan Maltais, P.E. on LinkedIn: #clt #masstimber

What a great way to end the decade with CLT and Mass Timber significant completion at 69 A Street. The excellent collaboration with Margulies Perruzzi &…

www.linkedin.com

Edit: Looks like 69 A St is a two-story addition to an existing building with "heavy timber columns and beams supporting CLT planks."

CIEE (in progress) – Commodore Builders

 

[statler]

I know this is probably a stupid question, but does CLT lose any structural integrity if it gets wet? If a water main breaks on the top floor or the roof develops a leak and the timbers get wet will they de-laminate like particle board does?

I mean the obvious answer is, "No, of course not" but how did they solve that problem? Just better glue?

 

[tmac9wr]

I know this is probably a stupid question, but does CLT lose any structural integrity if it gets wet? If a water main breaks on the top floor or the roof develops a leak and the timbers get wet will they de-laminate like particle board does?

I mean the obvious answer is, "No, of course not" but how did they solve that problem? Just better glue?

Yeah, the new method of construction seems really, really cool and appears to provide a lot of benefits but it also raises a lot of questions. On top of the scenario you listed, how does the strength of the wood hold up in the event of a bad car accident which leads to a car hitting a major support? How would it hold up vs steel or concrete? I hate to be grim, but what happens in the event of an attack of some sort? CLT buildings can get very big (there's already a 280 ft CLT building in Norway, and an 80 story CLT tower proposed in Chicago) so it's not outside of the realm of possibility that these could become targets, especially if they're vulnerable.

 

[stefal]

Water/rot is a concern, and most designers will likely just say "well, if you designed and installed it correctly water will never get to it."

Blast testing has been conducted, and it was promising, though physical impact is also a concern. Perhaps some steel or maybe even carbon fiber reinforcement at the base levels may be required.

 

[tmac9wr]

Water/rot is a concern, and most designers will likely just say "well, if you designed and installed it correctly water will never get to it."

Blast testing has been conducted, and it was promising, though physical impact is also a concern. Perhaps some steel or maybe even carbon fiber reinforcement at the base levels may be required.

Thanks for that info!

 

[reverend_paco]

A nice animated gif I found on this website: https://generatetechnologies.com/work-model-c