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Frequently Asked Questions
How is mass timber different from stick framing?
It is a different construction system rather than larger framing.
CLT, glulam and LVL are engineered panels and members.
They carry loads far beyond what dimensional timber handles.
Connections are engineered individually rather than selected.
Bolts, dowels, structural screws and steel plates replace nails.
The connection is designed as part of the building rather than chosen on site.
Why is fabrication accuracy so critical?
Because members arrive with their connections already machined.
Mass timber is CNC-cut before it reaches site.
Recesses, drillings and connector positions are pre-determined.
That makes assembly extremely fast.
It also makes errors extremely expensive.
Changing a connection on site is rarely straightforward and sometimes impossible.
What governs the connection details?
Timber's behaviour perpendicular to the grain, more than anything else.
Timber is far weaker across the grain than along it.
Concentrated perpendicular load can split a member.
Connection design spreads load and controls where it enters.
Proprietary systems specify edge distances, spacings and screw angles precisely.
Those figures are part of the design rather than installation guidance.
How does fire performance work?
Mass timber chars predictably and the char protects the timber beneath.
Exposed steel connectors lose strength quickly.
That makes surface connectors the weak point in a fire.
Connections are frequently concealed within the members.
The timber then protects the steel it contains.
Fire design for mass timber is a specialist area with market-specific requirements.
Does moisture matter during construction?
A great deal - mass timber must be protected from prolonged wetting.
Panels exposed on site absorb water at edges and end grain.
Swelling, delamination and staining all follow.
Connections detailed to drain rather than trap water help.
Sequencing to get the building weathertight quickly is part of the plan.
Protective coatings and covers are used during erection on most projects.
Are these connectors interchangeable?
Generally not - proprietary systems are designed as complete solutions.
Screws, plates and brackets come from one manufacturer's range.
Their capacities are tested as a system.
Substituting a component invalidates the design values.
Approvals are market-specific as they are throughout this family.
Any proposed substitution goes back to the engineer rather than being resolved on site.
Who designs the connections?
An engineer, as part of the building design.
Connections are not selected from a catalogue by eye.
Loads at each junction are calculated individually.
The fabricator machines to the resulting drawings.
Site changes require referring back rather than local resolution.
That discipline is what makes the speed of erection possible in the first place.