News
October 13, 2009
NEW case study: Richmond Olympic Oval
The Richmond Oval, built for the long-track speed skating events for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC, will seat 8,000 spectators and contains two international size ice rinks, eight gymnasia, a 200m running track and a fitness centre.
The city of Richmond, as the client, wanted to showcase wood - and specialist timber contractors StructureCraft Builders' response was to use ordinary Canadian timber in an unexpected and efficient way. The resulting all-wood roof covers an area of 2.4 hectares and uses standard materials including 2,400m
3 of construction grade ‘pine-beetle-affected' timber and 19,000 sheets of exterior-grade plywood, all supplied directly from British Columbia (BC) mills.
The WoodWave roof rises 100 metres over the ice and spans the 13.1m wide bays between the main glulam arches. After the Games, the Oval will become a community facility with venues for a multiplicity of sports.
A year in research and development, the ‘WoodWave' uses ordinary ‘2x4s' in a large span structural application. The outcome offers unique aesthetics, excellent acoustics and stringent fire protection. The structural roof panels are built completely of wood and plywood fastened together in a wave-like form to
serve as structural roof, finished ceiling and noise-reducing panel. The 3.6m x 13.1m wood panels are arched and span between primary wood-steel composite arches mounted on concrete abutments.
In all aspects the WoodWave panel is an entirely new product embodying significant technological advancements. It transfers loads in an entirely new way, absorbs sound through regular acoustical openings between splices, and is constructed so that simple solid timber can meet fire safety requirements.
The uniqueness of the design becomes apparent when looking at the mechanics of the panel under gravity loading. As the dead and snow loads are applied to the upper surface of the panel, the forces are distributed by the plywood skin diagonally through the spliced timber strands and into the supports located at both ends, where a steel tension rod is attached to each V-shaped arch (Vee) to hold the shape and minimize deflections.
Regarding the spruce-pine fir used, provided the wood is harvested soon after infestation by the pine beetle, it suffers no structural degradation.
To view the case study
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