122 replies to this topic

[gumgum]

Great pics OX.
Can you explain Glulam?

[Number Six]

I think the Cook St. side of the Castana building also qualifies as it has a sloped roof and Glulam exposed beams. The rest of the building not so much. Castana was designed by the same architects who did the airport expansion.

[jaylow]

Great pics OX.
Can you explain Glulam?

the canadian wood council
http://www.cwc.ca/products/glulam/

[jaylow]

glulam beams are supposedly better structurewise than steel in a fire, believe it or not.

[Oxford Sutherland]

These are great pics. And I do love this style but I am not sure I would want a whole city of them. But 2 or 3 towers in this style would be awesome. I would hazard to say that the new portion of the Monaco lofts fits into this style as well. Granted it is only one floor but it does seem very similar.

I'd say it's not really a style for towers, maybe the podium of a tower. I think it's more likely we'll see this style used outside of downtown areas in houses and lowrise buildings.

This is a style I think we should be building instead of the fake Tuscany of the Tuscany Village currently under construction in Gordon Head. When Saanich got the Tuscany Village proposal, they should have said "uhhh...this isn't Tuscany, this is British Columbia, build something in our own style instead of importing some faux Disneyland style that probably won't age well"

[G-Man]

Could not agree more.

[Oxford Sutherland]

glulam beams are supposedly better structurewise than steel in a fire, believe it or not.

I've read that too, hard to believe at first, but I suppose steel can bend when it's heated up and under load.

I read that Glulam doesn't catch fire very easily either, even though it's made of wood, must have something to do with all the glue or whatever it's treated with. :smt102

Strong stuff....here's some bridges made with Glulam

[G-Man]

Are any of these not in Europe?

[m0nkyman]

I'd say it's not really a style for towers, maybe the podium of a tower. I think it's more likely we'll see this style used outside of downtown areas in houses and lowrise buildings.

I think something in this style would be an awesome top to a tower, as a penthouse maybe or a restaraunt.

[G-Man]

I would love to see a bridge in that style across Rock Bay from Discovery to Bridge Street.

[jaylow]

asaying a teacher of mine would say in college with regards to glulam: "narrow and deeper is cheaper"

[Oxford Sutherland]

asaying a teacher of mine would say in college with regards to glulam: "narrow and deeper is cheaper"

I don't get it...what does that mean? Is that refering to the dimensions of a beam?

Because narrow and deeper is stronger?

[Oxford Sutherland]

Narrow and deeper like this maybe?

[Jada]

Gorgeous, all of them. Beauty at the expense of our forests.

[Oxford Sutherland]

Wood is a sustainable resource, and demand for wood actually ensures that trees are replanted and forests are maintained.

Glulam is also an efficient use of wood since it uses smaller less desireable pieces of wood pressed together to create large beams which otherwise normally would have to come from some old growth forests. If we want to save old growth forests, we should encourage the use of Glulam.

[jaylow]

asaying a teacher of mine would say in college with regards to glulam: "narrow and deeper is cheaper"

I don't get it...what does that mean? Is that refering to the dimensions of a beam?

Because narrow and deeper is stronger?

yes, dimensions of the beam, as in the beam being made of 2x4 instead of 2x6, and deeper to get enough strength with 2x4s

[gumgum]

The individual pieces are curved before they're glued together right? They must be.

[Jada]

Wood is a sustainable resource, and demand for wood actually ensures that trees are replanted and forests are maintained.

Glulam is also an efficient use of wood since it uses smaller less desireable pieces of wood pressed together to create large beams which otherwise normally would have to come from some old growth forests. If we want to save old growth forests, we should encourage the use of Glulam.

I had no idea. I guess you learn something every day. Im looking forwards to seeing more of these glulam buildings, as there are few around.

[Oxford Sutherland]

The new Oak Bay Beach Hotel and the new Windosr Park pavillion in Oak Bay should both have been in this West Coast Contemporary style. I think people in Oak Bay demanded a "heritage" style mostly because they haven't seen any modern architecture they enjoy and think would fit in well in Oak Bay, so they revert back to what they know and are comfortable with. I don't really blame them either because a lot of modern architecture is full of big ugly walls of raw exposed concrete, most people probably haven't seen much of this West Coast Contemporary style, but if they had, they might have demanded it for these new developments in Oak Bay because wood suits Oak Bay, but big walls of raw exposed concrete don't. So I created this thread as a small way of promoting the image of this style, and maybe some future developments will use it instead of some weak heritage style or faux Tuscany/Monaco/France/Spain, etc...

[Doc Sage]

^^^^I applaud you.

Doc Sage