With the growing interest in sustainable construction practices, a relatively new class of solid wood building materials termed as mass timber has been utilized in building designs at a scale and height not achievable for traditional light-framed wood systems. Recent code changes in the 2021 International Building Code now allow the construction of mass timber buildings up to 18 stories. Mass timber building components are engineered wood products with their shortest dimension usually greater than 100 mm (4 inches). Examples of mass timber construction systems include cross-laminated timber (CLT), glue-laminated timber (GLT), structural composite lumber (SCL), dowel or nail laminated timber (DLT or NLT), and mass plywood panels (MPP). Innovative building systems constructed using these components present unique challenges and opportunities that warrant significant levels of research and development efforts in structural and architectural engineering.
This Special Collection aims to compile high quality papers that explore topics related to following aspects of mass timber building components or systems: Structural design and performance; Fire design and performance; Construction and cost considerations; Building envelop and non-structural components; Energy performance and life cycle assessment; Durability and long term performance; Acoustics and sound performance; Hybrid solutions (mass timber with traditional construction materials).