Study of a High Performance Timber Building: Design, Construction and Performance

This paper outlines the study of a 2-storey timber building at the University of Canterbury, in Christchurch, New Zealand. The building consists of post-tensioned timber frames and walls for lateral and gravity resistance, and timber concrete composite flooring. Originally a test specimen, the structure was subjected to large lateral displacements in the University structural testing laboratory. This large scale test of the structural form showed that post-tensioned timber can withstand high levels of drift with little or no structural damage in addition to displaying full re-centering characteristics with no residual displacements, a significant contributor to post earthquake cost. The building has been subsequently dismantled and reconstructed as the offices of Structural Timber Innovation Company (STIC) and renamed the Expan building. In doing this over 90% of the structural materials have been recycled which further enhances the sustainability of this construction system. This paper outlines the redesign of the office structure and looks into the construction and performance of the building in terms of long term deflections, seismic response, construction cost and time.