A new residence hall on the University of Arkansas campus will serve as a testbed for researchers to study Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) panels.
Professors in the university’s Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design and the College of Engineering are collaborating to measure and analyze the moisture content of the panels used in the buildings. Adohi Hall is the nation’s first large-scale mass timber residence hall project, according to a university news release.
Construction on the residential areas of Adohi Hall was completed this summer. The hall consists of two five-story residential buildings connected by a third building that provides a common area. To monitor the effects of rain and humidity, sensors were placed in CLT panels in moisture-prone areas—bathrooms, kitchen and laundry areas, and near the exterior of the buildings.
The approximately 200,000 sf project with 708 beds was designed by Leers Weinzapfel Associates of Boston, Modus Studio of Fayetteville, Mackey Mitchell Architects of St. Louis and OLIN of Philadelphia. CLT panels were used in floors and ceilings. Columns and beams were made from glue-laminated pieces, which are bonded together with the wood grain of each layer running parallel rather than perpendicular, as CLT panels do.
Related Stories
| Jun 28, 2012
Label for building products will have ‘global warming number’
The director of the 2030 Challenge for Products says that the organization is aiming to place a label on building products that will list what’s in it, and how much embodied carbon each product represents.
| Jun 28, 2012
Top building material executive urges building resilience in sustainability standards
A meeting of 1,000 business executives at the recent Rio+20 environmental conference featured a passionate plea to include building resilience in efforts to boost sustainability.
| Jun 28, 2012
Following spate of skyscraper balcony glass panel breakages, Ontario adopts code change
Ontario's housing minister announced new building code rules to help prevent glass panels from breaking off high-rise balconies during hot weather.
| Jun 28, 2012
Factory worker deaths in Italy raise questions on building codes after earthquakes
Italian officials are questioning seismic building standards and inspection procedures in the aftermath of two damaging earthquakes.
| Jun 21, 2012
Brazilian engineering/construction firm Odebrecht sues Florida over ban on companies doing business in Cuba
Odebrecht Construction Inc., a Brazilian engineering and construction company, is suing the State of Florida over a new law that bans governments from hiring companies with business ties to Cuba.
| Jun 21, 2012
String of shattered glass balcony panels prompts call for code reform in Ontario
Since last summer, glass balconies have shattered at 13 different buildings in Toronto.
| Jun 21, 2012
California adds window film to building code
California is the first state to add window film into its building code. Window film, a polymer material, offers cost-effective energy savings.
| Jun 21, 2012
New ISO standard to improve environmental management of concrete
A new ISO standard will help the construction industry better manage the environmental impacts of concrete.
| Jun 21, 2012
On net-zero projects, Building Teams will be held accountable for energy-efficiency performance
The building team will be held accountable for how net-zero energy buildings perform two, five, and maybe ten years after completion.
