CEU Summary

Connection Options for Wood-Frame and Heavy Timber Buildings

Although recent attention has focused on the possibility of wood high-rises, wood’s cost-effectiveness, versatility and light carbon footprint are already making it a material of choice for an expanding range of building types—from innovative public, educational and corporate structures that utilize mass timber products as their main architectural expression, to five-story (and higher) multi-family projects built with dimension lumber using long-established techniques.

The use of wood as a structural material continues to grow far beyond traditional applications, such as single-family homes and buildings up to four stories. An essential element common to all of these buildings is effective connections.

Learning Objectives – After this course, you should be able to:

Describe the basic categories of mechanical and joinery connections for modern wood structures, and their application in both light wood-frame and heavy timber construction.
Examine the wide range of connection options available today, from traditional joinery methods to widely used fasteners and connectors to the innovative proprietary connection systems that are enabling longer wood spans, higher walls and taller buildings.
Apply practical and technical design guidance to ensure effective performance of connections in wood structures.
Discuss key considerations for selection and installation of connections, for best performance and to avoid potential problems.