2/1/2015
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING
Department of Architecture and Building Sciences
ARCH 436
Contemporary Building Construction Methods
9. TIMBER CONSTRUCTION
Dr. Mohammed Ghonim
Lecture Objectives
Upon completion of this lecture, the student will be able to:
1. Explain the concept of timber construction.
2. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of wood buildings.
3. List the types of timber frame construction.
4. Draw the components of platform wood framing.
5. Describe the contraction process of timber joist floor and stud wall.
1
2/1/2015
Lecture Content
•
Introduction.
•
Historical Brief.
•
General Scope.
•
Advantages of Timber Frame Construction.
•
Disadvantages of Timber Frame
Construction.
•
Understanding Wooden Skeletal Buildings.
•
Types of Timber Frame Construction.
•
Platform Framing.
•
Wood Joist Floors.
•
Wood Stud Walls.
•
Wood Rafter Roofs.
Introduction
Wood as a building material
Wellbeing
Wood is very warm material. Massive wood has a greet warmth
capacity. The mass balances out the temperature changes and
keeps the interior temperature comfort.
Durability
Wood is a durable material, it is very bearing structure compared
to its lightness in weight.
Appearance
Wood is a beautiful malarial, it has natural forms and colors, many
well known artists, and architects have inspired by wood.
Ecology
Wood is a renewable resource, it supports the global sustainable
development, as a tree grows it binds carbon dioxide to it self and
slows down the global warming on its behalf.
Economy
Wood is an inexpensive material when forests are available,
forests produce wood using only solar energy, only minimum
amount of power are required for maintaining the forest. Wood
requires far less energy than other building materials.
2
2/1/2015
Introduction
Wood frame construction is the predominant method of building homes and apartments in the
United States. Increasingly, wood framing is also being used in commercial and industrial
buildings. Wood frame buildings are economical to build, heat and cool, and provide
maximum comfort to occupants. Wood construction is readily adaptable to traditional,
contemporary and the most futuristic building styles. Its architectural possibilities are
limitless.
General Scope
With any building material or product, rational construction and installation practices must be
followed to assure durability and trouble-free performance. Areas for economy in basic design
and house construction are covered in numerous publications, however, saving on materials
or using poor building practices in constructing the house frame saves little. Such practices
may reduce the strength and rigidity of the structure and cause difficulty in attachment of
cladding materials and trim.
3
2/1/2015
Advantages of Timber Frame Construction
Factor
Description
1. Labor
Timber framed construction allows
for the use of a few semi skilled
labor for the manufacture in
factory controlled conditions.
2. Time
Rapid completion on site is easily
achieved with less wet trades
involved.
3. Quality
Industrialized prefabrication of
engineered
wood
products
provides
consistent
quality
assurance when compared in-site
works.
4. Sustainability
Recyclable,
it
has
reduced
construction waste, and it is
energy efficient with low embodied
energy if constructed in local
timber.
5. Thermal
Performance.
The occupier of a timber framed
dwelling benefits from the higher
insulation which can easily be
achieved.
5. Durability
Can be built to exceed 60-year
design life.
Disadvantages of Timber Frame Construction
Factor
Description
1. Decay
Susceptibility to decay of timber
when exposed to excessive
moisture.
2. Combustibility
Timber is a combustible material,
fire resistance is achieved by
protective enclosure in noncombustible materials or by the
thickness of the timber section,
which provides a degree of
protection.
3. Maintenance
Wood buildings require more
maintenance,
and
they
are
expensive to maintain renovate and
restore.
4. Noise
Noise from footsteps in adjacent
rooms above, below, and on the
same floor in such buildings can be
quite audible
5. Infestations
Timber frames can become infested
with insects and termites.
4
2/1/2015
Understanding Wooden Skeletal Buildings
The skeleton of the timber building resembles the human skeleton.
Types of Timber Frame Construction
1- Platform Framing
In platform framing, each floor is framed
separately. It is easy to erect because It provides a
work surface at each floor level and is readily
adapted to various methods of prefabrication.
In platform systems it is common practice to
assemble wall framing on the floor and tilt the
entire unit into place.
5
2/1/2015
Types of Timber Frame Construction
2- Balloon Framing
In balloon-frame construction, exterior wall studs
continue through the first and second stories.
First floor joists and exterior wall studs both bear
on the anchored sill, second-floor joists bear on
a ribbon strip.
In buildings with brick veneer exteriors, balloon
framing reduces variations in settlement of
framing. The requirement for longer studs, and
the difficulty in accommodating fire stopping, has
reduced the popularity of this system.
Types of Timber Frame Construction
3- Post & Beam Framing
In post and beam framing method, beams of adequate size are used to support floor and roof
loads, and they are spaced up to eight feet apart. Floors and roofs are covered with 2- inch
planks. These serve as subflooring and roof sheathing, and, where tongue-and-grooved
planking is used, provide an attractive finished floor and ceiling.
Ends of floor and roof beams are supported on posts which provide the wall framing.
Supplementary framing between posts permits attachment of wall sheathing and exterior
sidings.
6
2/1/2015
Types of Timber Frame Construction
4- Truss Framing
The strength and resilience of wood
construction is due to its framework
of structural lumber combined with a
covering of subflooring, wall and
roof
sheathing.
Additional
engineering of the system through
use of floor and roof trusses and
metal framing anchors provides
even greater rigidity and permits
wider spacing of floor and roof
supporting members.
Platform Framing
Platform construction considered as the contemporary wood light framing system, it is easy
to erect. It provides a work surface at each floor level and is readily adapted to various
methods of prefabrication. This system of construction contains only small and closely
spaced members that can be assembled by nailing.
7
2/1/2015
Platform Framing
In the platform frame, the subfloor at the first floor level is completed soon after laying of
floor joists at that level. This subfloor provides a platform for the workers to stand on and
build the following story.
With the subfloor completed, the first-floor walls are then erected. These walls bear on the
subfloor. Later, the floor joists for the second floor are erected, which are then sheathed with
plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) panels to make the subfloor for the second story.
If there is an additional story in the building, it is built exactly the same way as the lower
story. Finally, the roof framing is completed. In other words, in the platform frame, the
structural frame is erected story by story.
Wood Joist Floors
The typical floor frame mainly consists of
closely spaced joists ended with cross
members called rim joists.
8
2/1/2015
Wood Joist Floors
Wood Joist Floors
9
2/1/2015
Wood Joist Floors
Wood Stud Walls
The typical wall frame mainly consists of
closely spaced studs ended with top and
bottom cross members called plates.
10
2/1/2015
Wood Stud Walls
Wood Stud Walls
Tilt-up construction is commonly used.
Temporary bracing.
The installation of thermal insulation.
Electrical Wiring Running Through Wall Studs
11
2/1/2015
Wood Rafter Roofs
The typical roof frame mainly consists of
closely spaced opposite rafters crossed by
the ridge board and tied by ceiling joists.
Wood Rafter Roofs
12
2/1/2015
Wood Rafter Roofs
Collar beams reduce rafter stresses
Knee walls add rigidity to the rafters
Summery
•
Wood construction is readily adaptable
to traditional, contemporary and the most
futuristic building styles. Its architectural
possibilitiesare limitless.
•
Timber frame construction is quick
and requires few semi-skilled labors.
While timber buildings have many
advantages they are disadvantageous
from
these
points;
decay,
combustibility, maintenance, noise,
and infestations.
•
•
There are four common types of
Timber Frame Construction: 1Platform Frame; 2- Balloon Frame; 3Post & Beam Construction; 4- Trussframed Construction.
•
Platform construction considered as
the contemporary wood light framing
system, it is easy to erect. It provides
a work surface at each floor level and
is readily adapted to various methods
of prefabrication.
13
2/1/2015
References

Ching, Francis (2008) Building Construction Illustrated, John Wiley & Sons.

Mehta, Madan et. al. (2013) “Building Construction”, Pearson, USA.

“Details For Conventional Wood Frame Construction”, American Wood Council.

www.environ.ie/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/BuildingStandards/FileDownLoad,1677,en.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org

http://youtube.com
Lecture Activity
Each student is required to prepare a brief but informative internet-based research about one of the topics
related to this lecture (Timber Construction); i.e., new developments, successive and local case studies or
important details. The research should be presented in only one A4 sheet.
14