Six-storey wood-frame construction: new code

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by Ms. B. Havin

OTOH, I'm interested in noise conductivity. Do you build this to make sure that sound can't travel up several stories at a time (or travel cross-wise)?

That's one thing that made me cringe about 6 story wood buildings - even harder to find a low/mid-rise with adequate soundproofing.

[Sparky]

Traveling in Vancouver this weekend I came across a couple of six story wood frame condominiums under construction. I couldn't stop and take a pic for you but I would like to share this so that you get an idea as to how our skyline will change with this revision to our building code.

Our company is going to be involved with the first one of these in greater Victoria.

I found it swomewhat imposing.

[sebberry]

I can just see 15 years from now, all the people who bought into the first round of 6 story wood buildings having to deal with some hideous problem because the "experiment" went wrong somewhere.

First floor termite infestation would be one of my fears. And fire.

[Sparky]

^ Seb, I think the fire protection today is better than it has ever been. Four story....six story...really not much difference with the exception of suite horns which is the standard today.

I was thinking more about the imposing structure in a neighborhood. These buggers are 50 percent higher than a four story.

Less sun if you are a neighbour.

[sebberry]

I suppose.

I know that construction has improved over the years, but there's no comparison between a steel/concrete building and a wood frame building in terms of the solidity of the structure.

I wonder how well a 6 story wood building will hold up over time. Someone on the top floor slams the kitchen drawer is the person on the 4th floor going to hear it?

[Sparky]

^ I don't think that is going to change Seb until they change the building code to address the sound transference. In the seventies ...it was all about the guy next door.....now it's about the guy above.

Some strata councils are now drafting bylaws against laminate flooring that is replacing carpet.

[Sparky]

Ok here is our first six story wood frame in the 900 block Esquimalt where the Carlton Club used to be.

Geezus these things are big.

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by Sparky

Some strata councils are now drafting bylaws
against laminate flooring that is replacing carpet.

Noise transmission in buildings is a complicated thing - it goes far beyond simply banning one type of floor. Even with carpet upstairs, a ton of noise gets through.

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by Sparky

Ok here is our first six story wood frame in the 900 block Esquimalt where the Carlton Club used to be.

That does look fairly imposing.

[VicHockeyFan]

Originally Posted by Sparky

Ok here is our first six story wood frame in the 900 block Esquimalt where the Carlton Club used to be.

Geezus these things are big.

Carlton Club is gone? Or this is next door?

Looks like they are co-existing.

http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=carlton...=12,10.81,,0,0

[Sparky]

OK, I assumed, that thing was so big I couldn't see anything else.

[Dylan Leblanc]

Originally Posted by sebberry

Noise transmission in buildings is a complicated thing - it goes far beyond simply banning one type of floor. Even with carpet upstairs, a ton of noise gets through.

Most wood frame apartment buildings still have concrete floors. Unless someone is playing music way too loud, or other unreasonable noise, I have never had noise problems with any buildings I have lived in.

[Candarius]

As someone who has not lived much of their life in multi-story buildings, is there much of a noise difference between a well constructed wood frame and your standard concrete construction?

(We live in a duplex and rarely hear our neighbours through the wood framed joining wall but used to live in a rental building that we found to be very noisy so I figure it is more due to construction but have not had enough experience to know!)

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by Dylan Leblanc

Most wood frame apartment buildings still have concrete floors. Unless someone is playing music way too loud, or other unreasonable noise, I have never had noise problems with any buildings I have lived in.

There's 2" of concrete (soft concrete, gypcrete) between the floors of my building too.

Doesn't stop me from having to listen to my neighbour opening and closing his sock drawers in his bedroom above mine.

[LJ]

Originally Posted by Sparky

Ok here is our first six story wood frame in the 900 block Esquimalt where the Carlton Club used to be.

Geezus these things are big.

I used to live in that apartment building you see in the background.

Many many moons ago.

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by Candarius

As someone who has not lived much of their life in multi-story buildings, is there much of a noise difference between a well constructed wood frame and your standard concrete construction?

Concrete generally transmits less noise, although walls between units aren't necessarily concrete.

Some precautions still have to be taken to ensure reduced noise transmission.


I have come to the conclusion that 6 story wood buildings will simply make it harder for people to afford quieter, sturdier construction.

Unfortunately there's no way to stop the idiots fron runing their dishwashers at 11pm, and with Hydro's TOU billing there will be more late-night appliance use going on. It's no wonder why the doc is worried about my blood pressure.

[Dylan Leblanc]

Aren't kitchens generally located away from bedrooms in apartment buildings?

[sebberry]

Possibly, but the bedroom isn't the only room where one might want some peace and quiet.

[Sparky]

A friend of mine is developing a condominium project on McKenzie, and the neighbors did not like the idea of 6 story buildings.

An interesting point that he brought up was the fact that there is a greater amount of framing required on the first two floors than would be required for a four story building.

He has reduced the project plans to four stories.

[Nparker]

Originally Posted by Sparky

A friend of mine is developing a condominium project on McKenzie, and the neighbors did not like the idea of 6 storey buildings...He has reduced the project plans to four stories.

Welcome to NIMBY-land.

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by Sparky

An interesting point that he brought up was the fact that there is a greater amount of framing required on the first two floors than would be required for a four story building.

I was thinking that would be the case.

[phx]

Originally Posted by Sparky

A friend of mine is developing a condominium project on McKenzie, and the neighbors did not like the idea of 6 story buildings.

An interesting point that he brought up was the fact that there is a greater amount of framing required on the first two floors than would be required for a four story building.

Do you mean the bottom two floors would use more lumber than the total for the top four floors?

[LJ]

Originally Posted by sebberry

Unfortunately there's no way to stop the idiots fron runing their dishwashers at 11pm, and with Hydro's TOU billing there will be more late-night appliance use going on. It's no wonder why the doc is worried about my blood pressure.

We run our dishwasher whenever but we never know it is running. You have to go over right beside it to hear anything. I don't think it would disturb the lightest sleeper.

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by LJ

We run our dishwasher whenever but we never know it is running. You have to go over right beside it to hear anything. I don't think it would disturb the lightest sleeper.

Mine is pretty quiet. My neighbour's DW makes more noise in my kitchen than my own dishwasher does. And of course in wood frame construction that noise carries throughout my space

[Sparky]

Originally Posted by phx

Do you mean the bottom two floors would use more lumber than the total for the top four floors?

I am not sure what the ratio is, (I am assuming that the framing might be on 12 inch centres instead of 16) but I am having lunch with him next week, I will ask and report back.