tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post5316130692530828847..comments2024-03-29T08:55:10.175-05:00Comments on Althouse: Would you want to live in an apartment in a wooden skyscraper?Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-57080168571369526882016-08-10T18:19:21.364-05:002016-08-10T18:19:21.364-05:00How do suction cups work on wood?How do suction cups work on wood?readeringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16699913625782012426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-54842914040073743332016-08-10T18:18:04.041-05:002016-08-10T18:18:04.041-05:00I did my master’s thesis at University of Toronto ...I did my master’s thesis at University of Toronto on "Tall Timber" and I can assure you that these buildings are very safe in a fire (the first inch or so of the structure will char and then act as fire retardent). I am not keen on the design but that might just be jealousy that no one has yet asked me to design a tower for them. As an aside these building systems are very “ecofriendly”.<br />Steve in Torontohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14669361235405936948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-39335518518588393822016-08-10T17:34:46.713-05:002016-08-10T17:34:46.713-05:00Oh I see the inside has grain. But it is cut to fi...Oh I see the inside has grain. But it is cut to fit numbers so you don't see grain, you see numbers and it still is horrible.wildswanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11975129877750876072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-9481105771324711262016-08-10T17:34:09.921-05:002016-08-10T17:34:09.921-05:00"Someone else on here may be able to discuss ..."Someone else on here may be able to discuss reinforced concrete structures, I have no idea how they behave in a fire."<br /><br />I was once sent to inspect a rather old reinforced concrete bridge in rural Alabama. A load of jet fuel overturned on the bridge and burned for quite some time. The bridge had to be replaced. The upper layer of reinforcing steel had expanded to the point where it de-bonded from the concrete. (Very scientific study. We hit the deck with hammers. Where the concrete was sound the metal "rang". Where it was not, "Thud".) But the bridge still stood and looked relatively unaffected. I crossed it in my vehicle with no hesitation (AFTER the inspection). But we did not find it safe for loaded trucks.<br /><br />A similar accident took place at a steel bridge in Birmingham, Alabama. The beams sagged nearly to ground level. Totally worthless, of course.<br /><br />JAOREhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11819907966430540035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-17089780117386576772016-08-10T17:30:37.102-05:002016-08-10T17:30:37.102-05:00From the description and comments this treated woo...From the description and comments this treated wood is like very strong, fireproof plywood. That isn't exactly what I mean by "I like wood in buildings." I like seeing the grain and different woods have different grains and it doesn't look as if that is happening with this "wood". Perhaps I don't really understand the material. As I see it, it looks like houses we made of popsicle-sticks when I was eight and some kids/ fathers got carried away and fretted out designs on the popsicle-stick-house sides. One of these kids grew up and became an architect. wildswanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11975129877750876072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-70775754928300245412016-08-10T17:06:08.664-05:002016-08-10T17:06:08.664-05:00'Hideous' wasn't an option.'Hideous' wasn't an option.mockturtlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10507310332014103437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-83606618171587213102016-08-10T16:16:38.380-05:002016-08-10T16:16:38.380-05:00Firetrap?Firetrap?Clydehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16736461252925227611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-70725909349068586522016-08-10T14:36:26.011-05:002016-08-10T14:36:26.011-05:00" wonder what the place smells like? It's..." wonder what the place smells like? It's all wooden inside. You'd think it would smell like a lumberyard. For how long? And what would it smell like burning? Possibly very pleasant."<br /><br />If you left it unfinished, it might smell like a lumberyard, but that's not going to happen. This would is laminated and then finished. These aren't pieces freshly cut from pine. <br /><br />It's not going to burn easily either and will have the wonderful fragrance of the glue that used to laminate the sheets.<br /><br />It will come down to cost. Like SIPs, the savings side of the equation vs. standard materials, is always somewhat elusive. The marginal cost of using the wood will end up be huge for such a large project.lgvhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18001474064691931617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-2713944067582958632016-08-10T14:24:36.295-05:002016-08-10T14:24:36.295-05:00The question of metal vs wood structures is usuall...The question of metal vs wood structures is usually discussed in engineering curricula. In my Strength of Materials class at Ga Tech in Spring 1971 our professor led a nice discussion on this topic. <br /><br />In a fire you would always prefer to be in a wooden structure than a metal one. Fires don’t generally start with the structure but with items in the structure - an appliance, furniture, carpets, drapes, etc. With a wooden structure it can be quite a while before the actual wood components in the buildings structure start to burn. The ones you worry most about are the beams in the floors and the ceiling/roof. Those can burn quite a while before they lose their structural integrity and cause a building collapse.<br /><br />It’s a different story with a metal structure. Though companies manufacturing metal buildings often tout that metal does not burn as one of the advantages over wood the problem is that at high enough temperature metal beams will lose structural integrity much faster than wood. They will melt, bend, and break causing a very rapid and catastrophic collapse of a ceiling or floor. This is what happened to the WTC on 9/11; the intense fire from the burning fuel very quickly destroyed the ability of the steel beams on the burning floors to support the weight of the structure above them, causing the collapse of the entire building.<br /><br />Think about how many times in your own community you’ve seen a photo or video of a fire at a metal building and when it is over it is just a pile of molten and bent metal laying on a concrete pad. Yet, there may have been a fire at a one or two story home - and maybe the people inside died - but when you see the house, even though it has soot around the windows and maybe is missing some parts of the structure, for the most part it is still standing. Build essentially the same building of both metal and wood, side by side, and start the same fire in each, and every time the wood building will still be standing when the metal one has collapsed.<br /><br />Someone else on here may be able to discuss reinforced concrete structures, I have no idea how they behave in a fire. I am neither a structural engineer nor an architect but in choosing a structure to live in i would take the wood frame over a metal frame any time, at least for a house or apartment. I’ve seen in the north suburbs of Atlanta some recent large multi-story condos under construction, 5 or 6 stores maybe, that are entirely wood frame. I would not hesitate to live in one. I would expect due to load bearing requirements there may be a limit to how tall a wood structure could be; I had no idea someone would propose building one this tall. After all, skyscrapers did not appear in the late 19th century until steel frames for buildings were developed.<br /><br />As someone mentioned earlier, modern engineered woods can do amazing things. For a while my former employer test marketed acetylated wood, made by taking normal wood boards and beams and treating them in a reactor with acetic anhydride under pressure. Although it would still burn, it was nearly indestructible otherwise, completely impervious to water and insects. It would never rot or warp and once painted or stained could go years without having to be re-finished. <br /><br />I think a wooden building like this would be pretty cool.<br />MountainManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16392947114551111527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-90810550018725575462016-08-10T14:00:04.794-05:002016-08-10T14:00:04.794-05:00I did a bit of digging. And I found THIS bit from...I did a bit of digging. And I found THIS bit from the architectural firm interesting:<br /><br />"The future of the project hinges on Sweden’s 2018 election. If the Center Party remains in power, the architect believes there is a strong chance his wood skyscraper will be built. "<br /><br />Smells of crony capitalism to me....<br /><br />Likely also means the structure would be far cheaper with conventional materials.JAOREhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11819907966430540035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-41353850878366006342016-08-10T13:56:00.230-05:002016-08-10T13:56:00.230-05:00Hate to carry the termite bond on that thing!Hate to carry the termite bond on that thing!Robert Marshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09121291212513560349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-89483930829283664352016-08-10T13:21:33.698-05:002016-08-10T13:21:33.698-05:00Blogger MadisonMan said..."Thieves will like ...<i>Blogger MadisonMan said..."Thieves will like it."</i><br /><br />Indeed.<br />Original Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01714345479248980398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-63035955829289511502016-08-10T12:55:32.030-05:002016-08-10T12:55:32.030-05:00Thieves will like it. If they see the lights off ...Thieves will like it. If they see the lights off in, for example, apartment 24 on the 16th floor, they can just go up to the door on that floor and break in.MadisonManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01212179466758420208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-47909044065350784602016-08-10T12:38:09.357-05:002016-08-10T12:38:09.357-05:00I wonder what the place smells like? It's all ...I wonder what the place smells like? It's all wooden inside. You'd think it would smell like a lumberyard. For how long? And what would it smell like burning? Possibly very pleasant.<br /><br />(And I have no sense of smell. I just think about these things.)Ann Althousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-40207915702088898712016-08-10T12:37:23.163-05:002016-08-10T12:37:23.163-05:00Google 'the great hydramatic fire."
All s...Google 'the great hydramatic fire."<br />All steel plant that was supposed to be absolutely fireproof, like the "Titanic" was unsinkable. <br />But steel becomes soft at a comparatively low temperature.Hagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05011701168912339784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-46233649292483922012016-08-10T12:30:55.064-05:002016-08-10T12:30:55.064-05:00this is economical+safe?this is economical+safe?jghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05254850370113601762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-48745210922629001712016-08-10T12:21:37.698-05:002016-08-10T12:21:37.698-05:00Irwin Allen's "The Towering Matchstick.&q...Irwin Allen's "The Towering Matchstick."Wincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15002449963597087316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-19472020689549009082016-08-10T11:53:30.716-05:002016-08-10T11:53:30.716-05:00Didn't the three pigs disprove the idea that w...Didn't the three pigs disprove the idea that we should build houses out of wood? The wolf huffed and puffed and blew that house down jr565https://www.blogger.com/profile/06250384040393259866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-16525430257371100472016-08-10T11:49:26.620-05:002016-08-10T11:49:26.620-05:00Reminds me of Monty Python's hypnotic flats.Reminds me of Monty Python's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ujRE2IkEIo" rel="nofollow">hypnotic flats</a>.Lancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06319411779044647512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-22830449780972028752016-08-10T11:47:41.260-05:002016-08-10T11:47:41.260-05:00Just ask General Motors' Hydramatic Division.
...Just ask General Motors' Hydramatic Division.<br /><br />Hagar - ?<br /><br />I had thought the steel skeleton was the key to buildings of limitless height without taper. I am amazed, and skeptical, that you can build a structure like that in wood. I suppose the article substantiates this?Bad Lieutenanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18091901464339059169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-33026983768978612092016-08-10T11:44:21.224-05:002016-08-10T11:44:21.224-05:00What number is the floor below 14?What number is the floor below 14?campyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15188668300381722712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-90680573334954751882016-08-10T11:40:22.866-05:002016-08-10T11:40:22.866-05:00So when Habib, a Muslim on Floor 11, lits up and t...So when Habib, a Muslim on Floor 11, lits up and then falls asleep in his bed as his cigarette continues to burn, the burning of that building will be visible from Calais.<br /><br />"But the building's own fire code prohibits smoking on the premises."<br /><br />Perhaps so, but manmade laws have no authority over the Muslim, and they'll tell you that over and over. Want proof? The UK outlaws bigamy. And the UK's Muslims laugh and laugh.gspencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01335355555146940449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-64101831400238270212016-08-10T11:33:16.605-05:002016-08-10T11:33:16.605-05:00It would be like living in an episode of Sesame St...It would be like living in an episode of Sesame Street.tcrossehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13861315905142017219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-40620287128221172402016-08-10T11:27:36.523-05:002016-08-10T11:27:36.523-05:00My immediate reaction to the filigree on top was Y...My immediate reaction to the filigree on top was YMCA. Or are those supposed to be martini glasses.CWJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03598487232861475833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-38114912131345520672016-08-10T11:24:40.293-05:002016-08-10T11:24:40.293-05:00I like that the woman is wearing cowboy boots in h...I like that the woman is wearing cowboy boots in her wooden apartment. No splinters for her!Brandohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06219319435229314554noreply@blogger.com