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Wait, they're proposing four story, wooden multiple-occupancy buildings? Would those meet fire safety standards anywhere in the developed world? I doubt their e

by makomk 10y ago

Wait, they're proposing four story, wooden multiple-occupancy buildings? Would those meet fire safety standards anywhere in the developed world? I doubt their example photo (sheltered accommodation for the elderly in the UK) is wood, since we don't generally build that way, and from what I can tell it cost substantially more than their budget despite being built somewhere with low land costs. I also notice that their photos of how six-story buildings would look are actually mostly four stories or less - and even at that height, they're starting to look pretty crowded in and dark. That's the trouble with dense high-rise buildings - you rapidly run out of light and privacy. This has two nasty effects on their proposals: it limits the density at which you can manage to cram them in and puts a lower cap on the minimum size.

blackguardx 10y ago
In the US, home construction is almost entirely wood. Masonry is usually reserved for commercial buildings. Really large apartment buildings are often made with concrete and steel. Using wood isn't unusual at all for a project like this. There was even some large apartment buildings going up in SF last year between the Potrero and SOMA neighborhoods that were entirely of wood.
- spc476 10y ago
  It really depends upon where you are in the US. Here in South Florida, most homes are built out of concrete block, due to expense (it's cheap) and building codes (for hurricanes). Yes, there are a few wood homes but you have to go out of your way to find them. Brick houses are very rare, as it costs a ton to ship the bricks in (we lack the resources to make bricks, but not concrete blocks).
noxryan 10y ago
Wooden multi-story building are standard in the US, at least in the midwest. Many new apartment buildings less than 7 stories are constructed with wood. I actually live in a 6 story wooden building with about 300 housing units. Also, stepping back higher stories is commonly done to help deal with shadows. http://www.woodworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Paper_383.pdf http://www.woodworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Paper_38...

by makomk 10y ago

blackguardx 10y ago

In the US, home construction is almost entirely wood. Masonry is usually reserved for commercial buildings. Really large apartment buildings are often made with concrete and steel. Using wood isn't unusual at all for a project like this. There was even some large apartment buildings going up in SF last year between the Potrero and SOMA neighborhoods that were entirely of wood.

spc476 10y ago
It really depends upon where you are in the US. Here in South Florida, most homes are built out of concrete block, due to expense (it's cheap) and building codes (for hurricanes). Yes, there are a few wood homes but you have to go out of your way to find them. Brick houses are very rare, as it costs a ton to ship the bricks in (we lack the resources to make bricks, but not concrete blocks).

noxryan 10y ago

Wooden multi-story building are standard in the US, at least in the midwest. Many new apartment buildings less than 7 stories are constructed with wood. I actually live in a 6 story wooden building with about 300 housing units. Also, stepping back higher stories is commonly done to help deal with shadows. http://www.woodworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Paper_383.pdf http://www.woodworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Paper_38...