The ESSB Building in Vancouver, Canada

Timber-concrete composite structures used in seismic regions

Photo: Equilibrium Consulting Inc.

→ 1 Wooden panels supported on glued laminated timber beams with inserted WCC shear connectors. After concrete pouring, the timber-concrete composite beams form the primary floor structure whereas the timber-concrete composite floors positioned transversely to the main direction of support generate the secondary floor structure

Photo: Equilibrium Consulting Inc.

→ 2 Detailed view of the timber-concrete composite floor: LSL elements with some inserted WCC shear connectors visible on the top side. The insulation panels have also been laid. In the foreground, the image clearly shows the stud shear connectors mounted on the steel beams, which contribute to creating a biaxially restrained floor structure after concrete pouring

Photo: Equilibrium Consulting Inc.

Timber-concrete composite floors are often used to meet particularly demanding structural specifications or to provide a high degree of insulation. The newly constructed Earth System Science Building (ESSB) is a multi-story laboratory and office building at the University of Vancouver that had to fulfil both criteria. Furthermore, the building is located in a seismic region. Whereas the original design had fully relied on reinforced concrete, about half of the building complex was constructed in a timber/wood composite design thanks to the Wood First Act initiative. As a result, the entire...