Mass Timber Floor Vibration Design: Tips and Tools for the AEC Community

Mass Timber Floor Vibration Design: Tips and Tools for the AEC Community

This webinar introduces a new resource developed to address a gap in available knowledge: the U.S. Mass Timber Floor Vibration Design Guide. The decision to use mass timber floors over competing materials is largely driven by economics. In almost all floor applications, the design of the mass timber panels and framing is determined by limiting the floor vibrations perceived by occupants (or sensitive equipment) to acceptable levels. While it is widely recognized that floor vibration design has a significant impact on cost, there have been common misunderstandings regarding mass timber’s vibration performance, in part due to little information on how to cost-effectively design mass timber floors for vibration. In addition to introducing the design guide and its contents, this webinar will cover the range of mass timber panel products used for floors, as well as design methodologies, and example calculations.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss criteria for acceptable floor vibration performance of mass timber systems in varying occupancies including multi-family and office.
• Review floor vibration design parameters through a systems rather than product-based approach.
• Demonstrate methods of designing mass timber floors for vibration and highlight appropriate design methods for different system characteristics.
• Introduce the U.S. Mass Timber Floor Vibration Design Guide and highlight its applicability to mass timber floor panel design for code-compliant projects.

Scott Breneman PhD PE SE, Senior Technical Director – Mass Timber, WoodWorks

Dr. Breneman is a licensed Structural Engineer and Professional Engineer in the State of California, a PE in the State of Washington, and Senior Technical Director – Mass Timber in the Project Resources & Solutions Division of WoodWorks. He received bachelor’s and master’s from the University of Florida and a doctorate from Stanford University. Scott has experience with structural design, seismic rehabilitation, and peer review of projects varying from single-family homes to high-rise hospitals. He is Past-President of the Structural Engineers Association of Central California, an associate member of the seismic subcommittee of ASCE 7 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, and a member of the PRG 320 CLT product standard committee. At WoodWorks, he provides project support and education to individuals designing wood buildings and oversees the development of technical educational content.