Vancouver, WA
When designing with #masstimber, managing the details can often be the key to beautiful results -- and to #deckthehalls at Washington State University’s Life Sciences Building Amedeo Gallucci and team did just that.
This creative team worked through construction details with the architect and developed solutions by pulling in a previous Code Unlimited white paper and developing additional alternates to gain approval for the mass timber wall assembly, ceiling design and affected shafts of the structure. Although the building is Type III-B, the exterior wall and some portions of the interior structural systems are now allowed to be built with mass plywood panels. These panels also intersect with a mechanical and elevator shaft which was proven to meet protection requirements by implementing a shaft liner, fire caulking at the intersecting joints and adding mineral wool in void spaces.
This project is still under construction but the design team has already given us the gift of positive feedback. One of their Senior Associates said our team was “…fantastic to work with throughout our design process from early discussions with the AHJ to brainstorming sessions with the design team to come up with creative solutions to implement mass plywood which will help the project meet its sustainability goals. They were also instrumental in getting our permit approved with the AHJ and working through project-specific detailing via two AM&Ms without which we would not have been able to expose-to-view as much of the mass plywood as we wanted to. The exposed wood is an integral component to the design of the building and will help bring a sense of warmth to the occupants.”