New WoodSolutions Design Guide to Drive Taller Timber in Mid-Rise Developments

Created to help design and building industry professionals realise the full benefits of the recent changes to the National Construction Code, the new technical design guide, “Mid-rise Timber Buildings – Class 2, 3, and 5 Buildings” explains how to achieve the targeted fire and sound Performance Requirements. It is available for free download at http://bit.ly/MidRiseTimber.

On May 1st 2016 The National Construction Code (NCC) was changed to allow the use of timber construction systems under the Deemed-to-Satisfy (DTS) Provisions for Class 2, 3 and 5 buildings up to 25 metres in effective height, known as ‘mid-rise construction’.

The new provisions cover both traditional lightweight timber framing and new massive timber systems such as cross laminated timber (CLT) and specify the use of fire-protective plasterboard and automatic sprinkler systems.

Fire and sound are two of the major design considerations in mid-rise timber construction design, as they provide fire safety and amenity for the occupants of the building.

The new comprehensive WoodSolutions technical design guide details in practical terms what needs to happen at each stage of the construction process to meet the fire and sound requirements of the NCC.

In addition to outlining the design process for sound and fire resistant construction of mid-rise timber buildings, the Guide is written to encourage dialogue and collaboration amongst architects, building designers, builders and regulatory and certifying authorities to realise the best outcomes.

“The opportunities offered by the code change are exciting and have the potential to benefit many projects, especially in the mid-rise multi-residential sector,” said Eileen Newbury, National Marketing and Communications Manager of Forest and Wood Products Australia, the company behind WoodSolutions.

“Designing and constructing these buildings in timber will be unfamiliar to some of the professionals involved and this is the first of a series of guides we will be publishing to assist them understand the Performance Requirements, the available design options and to make the transition to using the new timber systems as efficiently as possible.”

The new technical design guide, Mid-rise Timber Buildings – Class 2, 3, and 5 Buildings is the latest title in the extensive range of free design and construction resources available on the WoodSolutions website – www.woodsolutions.com.au.