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NEED TO CATCH up? TheJournal.ie brings you a round-up of today’s news.
IRISH
INTERNATIONAL
#YEMEN: A US journalist was killed by militants during an operation aimed at freeing him from Al-Qaeda kidnappers in Yemen.
#BIG COUCH: The Vatican found hundreds of millions of euro it had “tucked away”.
#HAGUPIT: A major typhoon made landfall in the Philippines, threatening more devastation for the country.
#AL-QAEDA: Pakistani soldiers killed a major Al-Qaeda leader.
INNOVATION
PARTING SHOT
Some people don’t believe that rape is as big a problem as it is made out. Here’s how bad it is in the US.
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Wooden fancy being on the top floor!
firetrap
its not original,…….they build one of these each year up north for the 12th
Firetrap?, do you really think it would pass building control if wasn’t proposed to be constructed of fire resistant treated timber?
Unfortunately, Stephen, “resistent” doesn’t reallly inspire confidence for us mere mortals who aren’t architecture experts, and unfortunatwly we’re the ones to whom you have to sell the concept, even if you know better.
You have a chip on your shoulder
Could be attacked by a paper aeroplane
Or radical Muslim termites..
Or any number of splinter groups.
This building is going to cost more than a steel or concrete tower based on the simple fact that it’s never been done before. The fact timber is lighter is helpful but wind will be a more important factor for a building this tall. They already mentioned the fire implications and that’s the first thing I thought of. Concrete performs well in a fire. Exposed steel will weaken. But neither are combustible. They don’t necessarily need to find a way to stop it getting completely engulfed, they just need to prevent that from happening long enough for people to escape.
We have long had ways to fire proof timber so that it would not be a problem, the problem I see is that any timber building needs regular treatment that could be very costly over time at this scale.
For those worried about fire:
http://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design/crosslam-timber-fire-resistance-and-rating/
tldr: CLT or cross laminated timber as used in all large scale timber buildings performs very well in resisting fire.
How? you specify about 50mm thicker than what is necessary for structural purposes. When there is a fire, this extra 50mm is burnt until it chars, which in turn insulated the necessary remaining timber from burning. simples.
Yeah the wood itself isn’t quite like your typical timber.
This is cool though and the only way to figure these things out, is to go build it.
Yeah timber is good structurally because the charring protects it like you say. I’d be more concerned about the spread of fire than global collapse. I’m not sure how, say, firestops work when the continuous structure between floors is combustible. There’s always a solution though.
Anyone else thinking…. “Jenga!”.
Typical architects messing with wood and flat roofs ! Unless wood is pumped up with silicone it will rot . . so you might as well call it plastic. And like most modern apartment frontages they will bleach and discolour, because no one will be arsed varnishing. Nice and ‘arty farty’, but keep it on the drawing board lads till you’ve read the book on that office shelf called consequences!
“People have a greater affinity to taller structures made out of natural materials” a statement tested how, when and by whom? Since this has not been done before I’d like to know what this statement is based on.
This wood is treated and quite different to traditional timber.
Tree houses…when they were kids, Andreas ;)
No matter how it’s treated or laminated every join is a potential flaw, that unless it’s plasticised – then it’s no longer wood, just a facsimile of..
I suppose you are not familiar with the wooden temples in Japan. Or the traditional half timbered house in Britain. Or the thousands of wooden built houses all over the world which last for centuries. Bricksh n martyr n a bi’ o’ vernish Tis yer oanly man
Carbon fiber is already replacing aluminum in planes and buildings built from theoretically have no limit on height.
Elevators and Oxygen are the only issues.
It is still horrendously expensive to make
Yeah that’s what I was going to say. The cost makes sense if you are making a high end record breaking plane or boat and aren’t too worried about cost. In aviation the cost is also offset by fuel savings over the lifetime of the plane too.
Well the cost has fallen from $150 to $10 a pound in the last 10 years. Still expensive compared to steel which is less than $1. But steel is 5 times denser.
So in the last decade it’s fallen from over 150 times the cost to just twice the cost of steel. Should be economical as a skyscraper construction material before 2020.
@Drew $10 is for the fibre. That doesn’t include the resin or processing costs. Also, it’s only particularly strong in tension (like the steel I-beams) so concrete would still be required. Finally, it’s carbon nanotubes that could be used for the space elevator, not carbon fibre.
retro-i swear i wont be caught dead up it
towering inferno Part 2, bonfire building
A wooden skyscraper wooden work
They had best not ask our ‘Modular Men’ to build it if they want pricing certainty!
If wood is proposed as an alternative to bothsteel and concrete, this means that the structural and loan bearing elements are to be constructed of wood. Fire is a major concern but there is also a danger that elements of the wooden structure could be compromised by rot and chemical reaction. It’s an interesting academic exercise but I’m sceptical that the building would be insurable and capable of being financed.
Fiona, i really think all of those problems you have raised and will have been solved long before it ever gets built.
There are some fairly smart architects, structural and fire engineers around nowadays.
There is no possible way that its would get passed Building Control without all of those issues solved prior to
Got Wood!!
Firehazard
My boyfriend surprised me the other night with a nice bit of wood he picked up.
Maybe build one here made from chocolate
For those worried about fire:
http://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design/crosslam-timber-fire-resistance-and-rating/
tldr: CLT or cross laminated timber as used in all large scale timber buildings performs very well in resisting fire.
How? you specify about 50mm thicker than what is necessary for structural purposes. When there is a fire, this extra 50mm is burnt until it chars, which in turn insulated the necessary remaining timber from burning. simples.
Wooden work.
Thatched roofs have been banned since The Great Fire of London in 1666. I imagine the fire cert would be difficult to get for this project in spite of new methods and technology but definitely worth a try. Btw there is a single exception the the ban on thatched roofs, the well known building adjacent to the river the replica of Shakespeare’s Globe theatre, at least that’s what the river tour guide said.
Desmodromic, thousands of properties all over UK and rest of Europe have thatched roofs, and they are replaced by thatch as they rot..probably 30-40 years. Ban may be in London and other large cities only.
hmmm a massive erection and now they want to build it from ‘wood’. The whole thing is pretty phallic if you ask me.
Well that line of thinking got us to the moon. And feminists still think a world run by women would be better. But I ask you, how aerodynamic are boobs?
If they can prove the quality of the materials to the same level of concrete and steel then why not but it’s a big leap to go from a 14 storey to 80.
If u build them they will Come
I’m all for wood. Let’s build this thing.
TIIIMMMMMBBBBBBBBBEEEEEEEERR!!!
I sense another ‘Great Fire of London’
1st of April was weeks ago
have your say