Tips for Designing With Glulam Beams and Columns
Glulam is an extremely flexible building material that offers architects untold possibilities. Not only is it strong and visually appealing, but its construction time savings may exceed three times compared to concrete or steel solutions.
Holes in glulam members can significantly compromise their structural capacity when exposed. Therefore, it is vital that holes requiring 1-hour FRR be only drilled using NDS Chapter 16 calculations of Char. Any notching should also be coordinated under the engineer of record’s guidance.
1. Use a Laser Level
Glulam is an engineered wood product renowned for its strength, durability and aesthetic qualities. This material can be found used to create stunning ceilings and dramatic trusses in open areas – as well as being utilized in both residential and commercial construction projects.
When designing with glulam, it’s essential to understand the differences between columns and beams. Both structural elements play a part in load-bearing; however, their roles differ greatly within an architecture project: columns provide vertical support while beams offer horizontal load bearing support – something many people tend to confuse between the two terms! When using glulam though, making these distinctions is absolutely critical for successful projects.
Glulam consists of multiple wood laminations bonded together using long-lasting and moisture-proof adhesives, and designed to absorb stress proportionally, for increased strength. Furthermore, each grain runs parallel with its length for increased strength; and can even be customized according to specific project needs such as appearance or loading conditions.
Gulam may be best known for being used in eye-catching applications like vaulted ceilings, but it also works hard in hidden applications like simple purlins, ridge beams, garage door headers and floor beams. Furthermore, glulam can also be bent or tapered to fit a variety of design styles and projects.
No matter if you are designing a residential or commercial structure, laser levels are an integral tool in making sure that glulams are accurately aligned. They’re easy to reposition, providing reference lines easily visible even in bright conditions; just be careful not to look directly into their laser diodes!
2. Be Careful When Unloading
Glulam can be used in a wide range of applications, from building timbers to structural components like bridges. As an attractive alternative to steel or concrete structures, glulam offers increased strength, superior durability, natural beauty and is easier to transport than other forms of wood.
Glulam’s most prominent application can be seen in timber-frame homes. Here, the beams often remain exposed for added visual interest and spacious interior design. Furthermore, glulam ceiling vaulting systems in commercial buildings often use this material instead of concrete or steel supports to provide open concept environments with ample lighting.
A glulam is constructed using multiple pieces of lumber that have been meticulously laminarised together using moisture-resistant adhesives to form an extremely strong structure, such as those made of larch, fir, pine or spruce woods. Depending on the project design and needs, glulam may either be solid or cross-laminated – solid being constructed using smoothed timber while cross-laminated timber often includes knots or other imperfections in its grain patterning.
Gulam may be best known for its striking, exposed uses in lofts and other designs with open space, but its versatility extends into numerous hidden applications like purlins, ridge beams, garage door headers, floor beams and large cantilever beams. Furthermore, glulam’s shear capacity makes it especially suitable for portal frame construction projects where structural members span between supports via fixed joints with shear capacity – perfect for lofts!
Addition of holes to a glulam can drastically change its structural capacity and designers must understand this when working with this material. Holes must be appropriately located; at least four hole diameters should be clear from both top and bottom edges of a member; for larger members a minimum of eight hole diameters must remain clear from its ends.
3. Be Sure to Clean the Surface
Glulam has become the construction material of choice for modern buildings with long structural spans, due to its combination of strength, versatility, and aesthetic appeal. Builders use it in large-scale architectural projects ranging from sports arenas and showrooms to state-of-the-art sports stadiums and trendy showrooms; its flexibility provides everything needed to realize your vision successfully.
Glulam differs from steel and concrete in that it’s composed of natural wood, acting as a carbon sink and leaving much smaller environmental impacts behind. Furthermore, renewable forests often source these products using sustainable harvest methods making glulam an excellent option for projects seeking LEED or BREEAM certifications.
Due to its unique manufacturing process, glulam is both strong and versatile; accommodating custom curvilinear shapes that would otherwise be difficult or impossible with traditional lumber. Furthermore, its lightweight nature reduces foundation requirements while increasing overall project efficiency by saving on transportation costs and building materials.
Glulam is an ideal material to use for both exposed applications like vaulted ceilings and designs with open spaces, as well as common hidden ones such as purlins, ridge beams, garage door headers and floor beams. No matter where it’s installed or used – keep its lifespan protected with regular maintenance!
Glulam is easy to care for, yet taking the necessary precautions to protect it properly can be challenging. Exposure to sunlight or humidity requires treatment with a protective film to shield it from absorption or moisture damage, then regularly reapplied after initial application. By following these simple guidelines you can ensure your glulam lasts decades!
4. Be Careful When Staining
When it comes to staining glulam beams, several key considerations must be kept in mind. First of all, ensure the beams are clean before applying stain. Next, always choose high-quality products according to manufacturer recommendations; and lastly protect from extreme changes in moisture or temperature changes.
Staining glulam can add color and texture to your building project, but keep in mind that glulam is highly susceptible to moisture and temperature changes, so using protective coating is crucial to ensure its long-term use.
Glulam can be used to create an array of structural components. For instance, flight beams, sloped beams and curved beams can all be constructed using this material as well as roof systems with trusses or roof truss systems; additionally walls and foundations may be built out using it too. Furthermore, unlike steel and concrete structures, glulam is much more environmentally-friendly – in fact it may even help sequester carbon dioxide!
Though glulam is an extremely durable material, it must still be treated with great care in terms of fire resistance. For instance, understanding how holes may compromise its structural capacity is of great significance.
Calculating the structural capacity of a glulam member with an opening requires taking into account any loss in cross section caused by its opening – known as net section area and must be considered when assessing load carrying capacities of members with holes. For instance, when considering 1-hour FRR requirements in a beam with a 6-3/4 in. hole diameter that requires 1-hour FRR calculations using NDS Chapter 16’s calculations as part of its structural capacity calculation method.
5. Be Careful When Installing
As with any structural wood product, installing glulam requires great attention to detail. Holes in glulam beams can have a detrimental impact on its structural capacity; for this reason it’s wise to limit both their number and size when designing beams using guidelines provided by its manufacturer. A structural engineer should review each hole location prior to construction while being mindful when drilling into it to avoid damaging its surface member.
Glulam can be used to craft beautiful architectural features. For instance, its columns can help support expansive glass facades in retail storefronts while its roof trusses provide lateral support and allow for spacious attic rooms in residential homes.
Recent trends show an increase in interest for glulam due to its sustainable profile and beauty, cost-efficiency, fabrication capabilities with long spans and ability to be designed into complex designs. But its use can still be daunting for novice builders and contractors.
An error that frequently arises with the installation of glulam is misorienting a column in the wrong direction. Each column has two axes – strong and weak – depending on which direction its laminations lie in; installing one in an improper direction could compromise its bending capacity as well as potentially cause structural damage elsewhere in the structure.
Error number two involves drilling too large a hole into a glulam beam. While National Design Specification (NDS) for Wood Construction suggests maximum hole diameters of 1-1/2 in, most MEPF penetrations in mass timber buildings will require much larger holes than this.