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"Interestingly, new US apartment buildings are now predominantly wood frame as well. This is a recent change due to intricacies of fire codes and the politics b
by rsync 7y ago
"Interestingly, new US apartment buildings are now predominantly wood frame as well. This is a recent change due to intricacies of fire codes and the politics behind them."
Wooden "stick-built" structures are also highly resilient in earthquakes and are, generally speaking, the best and most cost-effective way to build seismically safe buildings in earthquake zones.
I, personally, was always aesthetically offended by "American" 2x4 stick-built construction, as we generally understand it, but it is indeed the case that wooden studs properly sheathed with plywood "shear panels" (and tied to the foundation, etc.) are tremendously strong at a relatively very low cost.
I believe this scales up to at least 4 story mutli-unit structures ...
- emodendroket 7y agoThe downside is it's quite flammable. There are a comparatively high number of these going up in construction, before mitigation measures such as sprinklers are in place, in particular.
- rsync 7y agoWell, the exterior need not be wood - and in places like California wine country, should not be. A steel roof, concrete ("hardi") siding, and "WUI" vents with relatively fine pores, when employed properly, can make the building exterior quite fire resistant, regardless of the flammability of the interior framing. That being said, I do have steel sprinkler lines running onto the roof ...