Research Project

The Future Potential of Steel-Timber Hybrid Buildings

Project Start: July 2021
Principal Investigators: Antony Wood & Daniel Safarik, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat

The global building industry is now at a turning point, where increasing pressure towards more sustainable construction methods is driving great interest in engineered mass timber—not only because of its perceived lower carbon footprint in production, but because of timber’s ability to sequester carbon from the atmosphere as it grows / produces. However, the adoption of mass timber is still in its relative infancy, with heights in the 15–20 floor count typically being achieved so far. Timber will need to act in symbiosis with other materials, such as steel, to achieve greater heights for these buildings in the future.

The overriding objective of this project, then, is to capture the current state‐of‐the‐art and full potential of steel‐timber hybrid structures in high‐rise buildings, globally, as a means of clarifying the full benefits of steel‐timber hybrid construction for the tall building industry. Through detailed, data‐driven case study analyses (including built, under‐construction, and proposed buildings), the primary motivators that dictate and enable the use of steel‐timber hybrid systems will be identified, and the life cycle costs and environmental impacts will be studied. Common characteristics and drivers will be published and promoted, to guide and influence the future of the building industry, underscoring the value proposition of the steel-timber hybrid. Through this in‐depth assessment of the design, cost, environmental, and market benefits of using steel‐timber composite structures, a significant Research Report publication will be produced, serving as a precedent reference for stakeholders.

 

Join the Steering Committee

 

Note: This project is the next step, and builds upon, other CTBUH Timber Research Projects complete and currently underway, namely:

Funding Partners

Videos

This series of presentations on steel-timber hybrids was captured during the CTBUH Steel-Timber Hybrid Buildings Conference, held in May 2022.

Steering Committee Members

ahmad-abdelrazaq Ahmad Abdelrazaq
Managing Director & Founding Partner, Rise Global LLC
shelley-finnigan Shelley Finnigan
Associate Dean, Master's and Professional Education, Northwestern University
ngai-keong-foong Ngai Keong Foong
Assistant Vice President, Design Management, Projects, City Developments Limited
michael-gerada Michael Gerada
National BD Manager, Heavy Const & Infrastructure, BlueScope
dan-hagan Dan Hagan
Director & MMC Lead, WSP
michaela-harms Michaela Harms
Senior Director of Mass Timber, Sterling
leif-johnson Leif Johnson
Structural Engineering Director, StructureCraft
paul-kremer Paul Kremer
Research Fellow Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Melbourne
ethan-martin Ethan Martin
Director of Sustainability and Mass Timber, DCI Engineers
phil-mccormac Phil McCormac
Senior Director, Development and Capital Projects, Ivanhoe Cambridge
kevin-mcelhone Kevin McElhone
Director of Hybrid Structures, Walters Inc
ricky-mclain Ricky McLain
Senior Technical Director, Tall Wood, WoodWorks
laura-micheli
Laura Micheli
Research Engineer, ISG, Nucor Corporation
victor-montero-dien Victor Montero-Dien
Chief Executive Officer, President, REGENBE
christoph-odenbreit Christoph ODENBREIT
Professor, ArcelorMittal Chair of Steel Construction, University of Luxembourg
lisa-ottenhaus Lisa Ottenhaus
Lecturer in Structural Engineering School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland
riccardo-pedroni Riccardo Pedroni
Senior Associate Engineer, Ramboll
simo-peltonen Simo Peltonen
Team Leader in Product Development, Peikko
lisa-podesto Lisa Podesto
Senior Business Development Manager, Design Build Americas, Individuals
roman-przepiorka Roman Przepiorka
Built Environment Sector Leader - US Northeast, Mott MacDonald
kyle-richardson Kyle Richardson
Sr. Director, Construction Management, OAC Services, Inc.
ro-shroff Ro Shroff
Senior Vice President, 3MIX
may-so May So
Partner and Architect, Mithun
tabitha-stine Tabitha S Stine
General Manager Energy Solutions Services, Nucor Corporation
rainer-strauch Rainer Strauch
Managing Director & CTO, CREE Buildings, CREE GmbH
tai-thai Tai Thai
Associate Professor of Structural Engineering, University of Melbourne
hamid-valipour Hamid Valipour
Associate Professor of Structural Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney)
milton-vicentelo Milton Vicentelo
International Operations Director, Rene Lagos Engineers
steven-ware Steven Ware
Architect, Partner, ArtBuild
kai-yang Kai Yang
Director of Digital Fabrication, CadMakers

About the Funding Partners

constructsteel is the steel construction market development program of the World Steel Association. Their mission is to position the use of steel as a material of choice in a sustainable way and by communicating its benefits to construction stakeholders. constructsteel is a global marketing and research-focused program, whose role is to position and target specific markets & topics requested by members for members. At the same time, constructsteel has a regional dimension, i.e., to assist in transforming global efforts into opportunities at the regional level.

The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) is an industry-funded initiative established to promote the benefits and uses of softwood lumber products in outdoor, residential, and non-residential construction. Programs and initiatives supported by the SLB will focus on increasing the demand for appearance and softwood lumber products in the United States.

The presentations below were captured during the two-day CTBUH 2022 Steel-Timber Hybrid Buildings Conference, which convened the leading international experts in steel and timber design and construction, and explored how the benefits of each can be utilized to advance tall steel-timber hybrid buildings. Taking place at Mies van der Rohe’s essential masterpiece, the 1956 S.R. Crown Hall at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago, these presentations covered the most significant steel-timber hybrid buildings completed, under design or under construction today, as well as the latest advances in academic research.

Videos

Steel-Timber Hybrid Buildings Conference 2022 Opening Welcome Remarks

Antony Wood, CTBUH; Reed Kroloff, Illinois Institute of Technology; Terrence Busuttil, constructsteel; Nick Milestone, Softwood Lumber Board

Stockholm Central Station: A Steel-Timber Transit-Oriented Development

Mark Atkinson, Foster + Partners; John Peronto, Thornton Tomasetti

Download Presentation (PDF)

Optimizing Steel and CLT for Seismic Performance

Solomon Tesfamariam, University of British Columbia

Download Presentation (PDF)

Podcast

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