Abstract

Wood has been one of the traditional building materials (wood, stone and earth) throughout the American history and is continued in use today. Wood has been desired for its structural capabilities as well as its aesthetic value.  From yesterday’s log homes to today’s multistory wood-framed buildings, wood has been the common thread throughout the housing construction history in North America. Wood structures have provided shelter for millions, spanned myriad rivers, housed a host of businesses, and decorated structures both great and small.

For over 100 years and continuing in today’s residential construction in USA, light wood-frame is most common – over 90% of all residential construction.  New housing construction is average 1.5 million a year.  Structural wood panel products (plywood, oriented-strand board, etc.) are sheathed over framing of solid sawn lumber and/or engineered wood products (glulam, LVL, Wood I-joists, and other structural composite lumber products).  Light wood-frame is commonly stick framed on site. In recent 30 years, manufactured components, like metal-plate connected wood trusses, have become very popular as roof framing.  In the designing and construction of wood-framed buildings, fire-safety and structural (including loads from occupants as well as from earthquakes and hurricanes) considerations are required by building codes.  In addition, shrinkage and sound transmission do require special attention.  

Using wood in structures is only limited by the imagination of the designers.  Designers of wood structures have a wide range of choices of materials and connectors.   Chemical treatments are available to increase wood’s durability and to reduce the combustibility. Engineered wood products, such as wood I-joist and laminated veneer lumber, provide high structural performance and fewer limits on available sizes and lengths. Fiber-reinforced polymer is been used in glued-laminated members to enhance structural performance. Many types of metal fasteners are readily available for jointing wood members.

Speaker Biography

Dr.  Chung Keung CHEUNG 
Ph.D., P.E., Chief Engineer, Western Wood Products Association, Portland, Oregon, USA

-Chief Engineer, Western Wood Products Association, Portland, Oregon, 1986 -present.
-Ph.D. in Engineering, 1984, Washington State University.
-Published over 30 papers in engineering journals and conference proceedings, and written chapters for engineering books as well as an encyclopedia, on topics of multistory wood frame construction, performance of wood construction during earthquake, and lumber testing and design properties.

-Participates in the development of wood structure design standards as well as structural wood products standards in the U.S.A. and international committees.

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