Table Of ContentSystems in
Timber Engineering
Lignum
Hoizwirtschaft Schweiz
Economie sutsse du bois
Economia svizzera del legno DEUTSCHE GESELLSCHAFT
FUR HOLZFORSCHUNG
Fdrdefprogramm des
Bundesomfs tur Umweit BAFL
holz 21 is the Swiss Federal Office for the Lignum, Hoizwirtschaft Schweiz, is the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Hoizforschung Josef Kolb AG is a consulting engineering
Environment's wood promotion scheme, umbrella organisation for the Swiss for- e.V. (DGf H) German Society for Wood practice based in Switzerland. The firm's
which cooperates with forestry and tim- estry and timber industries. It brings to- Research. The DGfH has been regis- international operations focus on struc-
ber industries, universities, and environ- gether all the main associations and tered as a non-profit association since tural engineering, fire protection, sound
mental organisations. Its principal objec- organisations in the timber chain, insti- 1931. It is a joint research organisation of insulation, building physics, and energy-
tives are to increase the sales and use of tutions in the fields of research and ed- the German forestry and timber indus- efficient construction. Opening up new
Swiss timber products and to strength- ucation, public corporations, and a large tries. According to its byelaws, the DGfH markets for timber is the central idea that
en the efficiency and functionality of the number of architects and engineers. By funds and coordinates non-competitive links our activities with the competent
wood chain from forest to market, means of its technology and communi- science and research related to the pro- use of timber systems. The craftsman-
www.holz 21.ch cation services throughout Switzerland, duction, processing, finishing, and utili- ship of the woodworking trade and prov-
Lignum provides publicity for an indus- sation of wood, wood-based materials en engineering methods, together with
try with more than 80 000 jobs in forest- and wood preservation. The forestry and scientific research and development,
ry, sawmills, timber merchandising, pro- timber industries benefit mainly from an form the foundation for safe, intelligent,
duction of wood-based products, paper active network of 30 DGfH committees and high-quality timber engineering in
manufacturing, packaging and pallet in- acting on an honorary basis, where more the 21st century. Everyday problems and
dustries, carpentry, joinery, and furniture than 1000 experts from all sectors of their solutions in timber at Josef Kolb AG
production. the economy, science, public authorities, provide a sound background for publi-
www.lignum.ch and users cooperate. The DGfH prefers cations such as Systems in Timber Engi-
to cooperate with all renowned wood re- neering. We hope the timber projects of
search institutions and numerous oth- readers and users benefit from this book
er specialised research institutes rather and would be happy to provide any nec-
than having to rely on a single institute. essary support to this end.
A practice-oriented knowledge transfer www.kolbag.ch
plus the European networking and focus-
ing of sectoral interests are increasingly
gaining ground.
www.dgfh.de
Josef Kolb
Systems in
Timber Engineering
Loadbearing Structures and Component Layers
Edited by:
Lignunn - Holzwirtschaft Schweiz, Zurich
DGfH - German Society of Wood Research, Munich
Birkhauser
Basel • Boston • Berlin
This publication was made possible through the generous support of:
holz 21 (wood promotion scheme of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment FOEN)
Ponds zur Forderung der Wald- und Holzforschung
Lignum, Holzwirtschaft Schweiz
DGfH, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Holzforschung
Kaufmann Holz
Kronospan Schweiz
Lignatur
Lignotrend
Sagerei Sidler
Pavatex
Purbond
Schilliger Holz
SFS intec
Stora Enso Timber
Advisory committee:
Martin Geiser, timber engineer, Bern Polytechnic - Architecture, Timber & Building, Biel, Switzerland
Pirmin Jung, timber engineer. Rain, Switzerland
Richard Jussel, master carpenter, Blumer-Lehmann AG, Gossau, Switzerland
Hermann Kaufmann, Prof., architect, Munich Technical University, Germany
Konrad Merz, structural engineer, Merz Kaufmann Partner, Dornbirn, Austria
Markus Mooser, structural engineer, architect, Lignum-Cedotec, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland
Ueli Rhiner, Prof., architect, St. Gallen Polytechnic, University for Applied Sciences, St. Gallen, Switzerland
Marco Ryter, architect, Bauart Architekten, Bern, Switzerland
Specialist editorial services: Charles von Buren
Layout, graphics: Ueli Rhiner
Translation into English: Gerd H. Soffker and Philip Thrift, Hannover
Copy-editing: David Skogley, Berlin
Project coordination: Karoline Mueller-Stahl, Leipzig
Library of Congress Control Number: 2007939900
Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek: The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in
the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de.
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically
the rights of translation, reprinting, re-use of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in
other ways, and storage in data bases. For any kind of use, permission of the copyright owner must be obtained.
© 2008 Josef Kolb, Josef Kolb AG, Uttwil, Switzerland
© 2008 Lignum, Holzwirtschaft Schweiz, Zurich, Switzerland
© 2008 Birkhauser Verlag AG, Basel, Boston, Berlin, P.O. Box 133, CH-4010 Basel, Switzerland
Part of Springer Science+Business Media
Also available: German edition (ISBN 978-3-7643-8823-2)
Printed on acid-free paper produced from chlorine-free pulp. TCF oo
Printed in Germany
ISBN: 978-3-7643-8689-4
987654321 www.birkhauser.ch
Preface
The system concept determines the character of timber structures. from DGfH and Lignum. The patient, meticulous team from the
Up until the mid-1990s it was sufficient to be familiar with tradi- Birkhauser publishing house was always on hand throughout the
tional systems such as log construction, timber-frame construc- work. I am also grateful to the advisory committee for its con-
tion, and stud construction, and to be aware of panel construc- structive criticism and support, Ueli Rhiner for the design of the
tion and modern frame construction, which were new at the time. book, and Charles von Buren for his help in all matters related to
In the meantime, the situation has changed completely. Structures publishing. And it is only thanks to "holz 21", the Swiss Federal
have become much taller and also larger. New loadbearing sys- Office for the Environment FOEN, and funds to promote forest and
tems have been introduced. And it is no longer the loadbearing timber research that this book could be produced at all. Further
systems alone that are important - the building envelope, too, as a valuable assistance was provided by Lignum (the umbrella organi-
result of system solutions, has become a self-contained functional sation for the Swiss forestry and timber industries), DGfH (German
medium which is coordinated, however, with the loadbearing Society of Wood Research), and a number of supplier companies
structure. The same applies to walls and suspended floors. to the timber industry.
The design concept is decisive for the creation of a successful timber Uttwil, Switzerland, January 2007 Josef Kolb
structure. We understand "design concept" to include the archi-
tectural idea, the interior layout, and technical measures. An early
decision regarding the choice of loadbearing system and the as-
sociated conceptual and constructional considerations, togeth-
er with fire protection and sound insulation plays a key role. At
the same time, the systems for thermal performance, airtightness,
and moisture control, the needs of the building services, measures
concerning durability, maintenance, and the operation of a build-
ing, right up to its end-of-life deconstruction, must all be con- The German edition of this book appeared for the first time only
sidered. For design and construction teams it is vital to link the a year ago, but a second edition has already become necessary.
demands of the project with the possibilities and limits of the tech- It would seem that the book closes a gap in the specialist litera-
nical concepts in such a way that a credible whole ensues. The aim ture on timber building systems. Since the publication of the first
of Systems in Timber Engineering is to encourage and assist such edition, many readers, including those on the practical side of
conceptual and planning activities. The detail must always be part the building industry, have spontaneously told me that this book
of the whole, and the whole can only be perfect when all the de- meets the needs of the modern construction industry, indeed, in
tails are correct. some respects is ahead of its time. And this is especially the case
where the system model gives rise to optimised loadbearing struc-
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Stefan Schuppisser, tures and system solutions, highly effective in terms of energy is-
Rico Kaufmann, Jakob Studhalter, UrsTappolet, and Stefan Rusch for sues, for building envelopes and separating components in con-
their help and encouragement; all four are engineers, designers, temporary construction concepts.
and planners specialised in timber, who helped me considerably
with texts, layout, and drawings. For proofreading of the manu- At the same time this updated second edition also forms the basis
scripts and for advice concerning technical matters I would like to for the editions in other languages currently in preparation. The in-
thank the timber specialists Christoph Fuhrmann, Bernhard Furrer, terested reader will find more information on products and manu-
Hanspeter Kolb, Klaus Richter, and Reinhard Wiederkehr, the build- facturers at www.timbersystems.info.
ing physics and acoustics specialists Markus Zumoberhaus, Karl
Menti, Georg Stupp, Heinz Weber, and Beat Kuhn plus the experts Uttwil, Switzerland, January 2008 Josef Kolb
a ?^
Principles Construction
systems
Material-related
Loadbearing structure, building structure, design
a1 Wood - natural building material with b1 Overview of systems 38
potential 10 b1 10 Building systenns in timber construction 38
a1 10 Progress rooted in tradition 10 b1 20 Walls, suspended floors, roofs 40
a1 20 Timber engineering 13 b1 30 Choosing a building system 41
a1 30 Facade 15
a1 40 Fitting-out 17 b2 Fabrication processes 42
b2 10 Fabrication processes related to building systems 42
a2 Ecology, sustainable building 18 b2 20 Building principles 44
d2 10 Wood - a building nnaterial with ecological benefits 18 b2 30 Fabrication stages related to the building
a2 20 The wood life cycle and processing chain 18 components 46
b2 40 Building with elements 47
a3 Conception and design 22
a3 10 The design process 22 b3 Log construction 50
a3 20 Planning 25 b3 10 General 50
a3 30 Process sequence 27 b3 20 Further development 51
a3 40 Quality assurance 28
b4 Timber-frame construction 54
a4 Material 32 b4 10 Past and present 54
a4 10 Species of wood 32 b4 20 The parts of the construction 56
a4 20 Properties of wood 33 b4 30 Settling allowance 57
a4 30 Grading 34
b5 Balloon frame, platform frame 60
b5 10 Two basic forms 60
b5 20 Timber stud construction today 61
b6 Panel construction 62
b6 10 General 62
b6 20 The parts of the construction 64
b6 30 Settling allowance 65
b6 40 Building structure and wall construction 66
b6 50 Structural engineering 78
b6 60 Loadbearing construction 82
b7 Frame construction 86
b7 10 General 86
b7 20 The parts of the construction 88
b7 30 Building structure 90
b7 40 Forms of frame construction 94
b7 50 Structural engineering 106
b7 60 Loadbearing structure and building envelope 108
c
Building envelope, walls,
suspended floors
Functions, layers, construction
b8 Solid timber construction 112 c1 Fundamentals, functions, tasks 202
b8 10 General 112 c1 10 General 202
b8 20 Solid cross-sections 114 c1 20 Building envelope 204
b8 30 Compound cross-sections 128 c1 30 Functions, tasks, and performance 208
c1 40 Building standards 222
b9 Roof structures 136
b9 10 General 136 c2 Design and construction 224
b9 20 Overview of structural systems 140 c2 10 General 224
b9 30 Close-couple roof 142 c2 20 Positions of component layers 225
b9 40 Purlin roof 146 c2 30 Junctions between components 228
b9 50 Traditional roof structures 150
b9 60 Roof trusses, trussed rafters 152 c3 External walls 234
b9 70 Roof systems with primary and secondary c3 10 External wall systems 234
structures 154 c3 20 External cladding 238
b9 80 Structural engineering 156 c3 30 Inner linings 244
bio Suspended floor structures 158 c4 Pitched roofs 246
bio 10 General, overview of systems 158 c4 10 Uninsulated pitched roofs 246
bio 20 Structural engineering, loadbearing construction 160 c4 20 Insulated pitched roofs 246
bio 30 Construction details 164
bio 40 Technical materials requirements 170 c5 Flat roofs 254
bio 50 Timber joist floors 172 c5 10 Uninsulated flat roofs 254
bio 60 Ribbed-panel and hollow-box floors 174 c5 20 Insulated flat roofs 255
bio 70 Solid timber floors made from solid timber sections 176 c5 30 Design of insulated flat roofs 260
bio 80 Solid timber floors made from board-type, c5 40 Falls 261
glued elements 178
bio 90 Timber-concrete composite floors 180 c6 Party walls, internal walls 262
c6 10 Tasks 262
b11 Multi-storey timber buildings 182 c6 20 Sound insulation of party walls 263
b11 10 General 182 c6 30 Flanking transmissions 265
b11 20 Conception and design 184 c6 40 Suggested forms of construction 266
b11 30 Structural engineering 185
b11 40 Settling behaviour 194 c7 Suspended floors 270
b11 50 Typical sections 198 c7 10 Tasks 270
b11 60 Building services 200 c7 20 Sound insulation of suspended timber floors 270
b11 70 Production 200 c7 30 Flanking transmissions 275
b11 80 Erection 200 c7 40 Suggested forms of construction 275
d e
Boundary conditions Appendix
Moisture content, protecting timber, fire protection Disclaimer, notes, references
d1 Moisture content 286 e1 References, institutions 310
d1 10 General 286
d1 20 Requirements 286 e2 information, databases of manufacturers 312
d1 30 The right installation moisture content 287
e3 Regulations, standards, technical information
d2 Protecting timber 288 sheets, aids 312
d2 10 Risks 288 e3 10 Switzerland 312
d2 20 Constructional (passive) protection 289 e3 20 Germany 313
d2 30 Surface treatments and chemical wood e3 30 European building materials and products standards 313
preservatives 291
d2 40 New developments in protecting timber 295 e4 Further reading 313
d3 Fire protection 298 e5 Picture credits 314
d3 10 Fire protection in the planning process 298
d3 20 Fundamental terms 298 e6 Construction projects featured
d3 30 Requirements 301 in photographs 315
d3 40 Design 306
a
Principles
Material-related
8 I 9
