To support the associated Elementary School projects in pushing the boundaries forward for wood construction in seismic zones, this testing project aims to establish the seismic behaviour of single-storey CLT shearwalls and ensure they are able to provide necessary ductility in a seismic event.  

Project Essentials

  • Testing PartnersThomas Tannert, University of Northern British Columbia
  • Funding PartnersGreen Construction through Wood (GCWood) Program for Low-rise Commercial/Industrial/Office/Institutional Buildings
  • Associated Projectswək̓ʷan̓əs tə syaqʷəm Elementary School (Formerly Sir Matthew Begbie) and Bayview Elementary School

Working with UNBC, Fast+Epp completed a series of cyclic tests were conducted on single- and multi-panel CLT shearwalls. 

A total of 27 single and coupled shear walls with panel aspect ratios of 2.5 and 3.5, gravity loading of 20 kN/m and 30 kN/m, different hold-down strength as well as different nail spacing in the splines were tested under monotonic and reversed cyclic loading. The test setup was developed to determine the behaviour of these types of shearwalls for the project specific application, as well as provide a basis to further develop this type of system for the engineering community.  

Conference Papers

Publications