Towers of Steel? Look Again (2013)

nytimes ^ | Published: September 23, 2013 | By HENRY FOUNTAIN

[dennisw]

Towers of Steel? Look Again

Benton Johnson, an engineer who worked on the report, said that wooden high-rises could help solve the growing worldwide problem of providing adequate housing to the billions of people who are, or will be, living in cities — while also addressing climate change.

“We know that we need to build a lot more buildings,” Mr. Johnson said. “And we know that we need to lower CO2.”

Until now, tall wooden buildings had been championed by a handful of architects and engineers, mostly from smaller firms overseas and in Canada. They welcomed the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill report.

The movement to construct tall buildings largely with wood as an environmentally friendlier alternative to steel and concrete has received a boost from an unusual source — a leading architectural firm known for its towers of steel and concrete.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the Chicago-based firm that has designed a long list of skyscrapers, including the new One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, has developed a structural system that uses so-called mass timber — columns and thick slabs that are laminated from smaller pieces of wood. In a report this year, the firm showed how the system could be used to build a 42-story residential tower that would have a lower carbon footprint than a conventional structure.

“We’re tall building engineers,” said William F. Baker, a partner in the firm. “We wanted to see what we can do to help on the sustainability side.” With their system, about 70 percent of the structural material is wood; most of the rest, including the foundation, is concrete.

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

The Towering Inferno.

[anoldafvet]

“And we know that we need to lower CO2.”

I stopped reading as soon as I saw this. The guy is an idiot.

[IronJack]

Wood comes from trees. Trees absorb carbon dioxide. So to lessen the amount of CO2, cut down millions of trees for wood to build structures that reduce CO2.

Sounds like the liberal “logic” hellhounds are off the leash again.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

“The premise is bogus.”

Hey! I had nothing to do with the “premise!”

[cripplecreek]

(From Twitter) BREAKING NEWS: Smoke rising from Burj Khalifa in Dubai, witnesses see fire engines staging.

[cripplecreek]

I’m thinking, “Wooden Chimney”.

[TomGuy]

As noted above, the premise is wrong. Using wood won’t control CO2. Mammals breath in oxygen, and exhale CO2. Trees breath in CO2 and exhale oxygen.

Easy. Break the cycle. Eliminate mammals. Population ZERO, accomplished. A Libs dream comes true, except that the Lib has been eliminated.

Uhhh. Wait a minute. Something is wrong with that premise, too.

[Imagine what a chart of a Liberal's mind would look like.]

[5th MEB]

Got a match?

[Flatus I. Maximus]

> would have a lower carbon footprint than a conventional structure

Until the day it burns.

[Doogle]

What could possibly go wrong?

...they would go through it like saber toothed beavers

[abclily]

OK!! Everybody pay attention!

Lesson for today:

1. The sun is 1,300,000 times as big as the earth.

2. The sun is a ball of fire that controls the climates of all its planets.

3. The earth is one of the sun’s planets.

4. The earth is a speck in comparison to the size of the sun.

5. Inhabitants of the earth are less than specks.

Study Question: How do less-than-specks in congress plan to control the sun?

[abclily]

Some politician’s cousin is in the cloth bag business.

[abclily]

LOL!!!

[SWAMPSNIPER]

[Forward the Light Brigade]

How about Bricks? Worked well for the Romans—Walk ups will keep the poor healthy as well.

[aquila48]

My apologies Dr Bogus!

[VTenigma]

Moron, I guess he never saw the movie “ Wicker Man “

[Cvengr]

While wooden structures might be ductile and have less mass, this steel moment frame is one of very few surviving the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 as well as the fire afterwards.

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

“I would think all these libtards could help by just stop breathing CO2 out....”

I would think all these libtards could help by just stop breathing...

There, fixed it!

[Cvengr]

Generally speaking, wood framed structures are limited to 35 to 65 ft in height, depending upon specific type of structure and seismic design category.

Economics usually prevail resulting in Steel frame systems.