A Study on Historical Tall-Wood Buildings in Toronto

Transcription

A Study on Historical Tall-Wood Buildings
in Toronto and Vancouver
First edition
Project No. 301006152 Canadian Forest Service Final Report 2012/13
May 2013
Author
Kenneth Koo, P. Eng, P.E., Industry Advisor, Advanced Building Systems
This project was financially
supported by the Canadian Forest
Service under the Contribution
Agreement existing between the
Government of Canada and
FPInnovations.
fpinnovations.ca
A Study on Historical Tall-Wood Buildings in Toronto and Vancouver
Project No.301006152
Abstract
Historical tall wood buildings (5 storeys and above) had been built all across Canada and United States.
With increasing interest placed on modern tall wood buildings in the 21st Century, questions are raised
related to the construction details of these historical buildings, the condition that they are in and how
many of these buildings are still serving their owners in a satisfactory manner.
“Brick and Beam” (B & B) building is the Canadian term used to describe adaptive re-use of the old
industrial brick and heavy timber buildings constructed in the late 1800’s and early 1900's into unique
work or living environments. They are low- to mid-rise buildings from three to nine stories. The exterior
usually have architecturally detailed facades. The interior featured high ceilings, exposed structural wood
beams and columns, sandblasted brick walls, hardwood floors and exposed forged metal connectors and
mechanical systems.
Companies that strive for creativity and inspiration are often attracted to B & B offices for its ability to
host stimulating space. These buildings are now fully updated with the latest modern technology and
amenities with clients in telecommunication and information technology, business and professional
services, media & entertainment industry.
This study confirmed that there are substantial number of historical tall wood buildings in Toronto and
Vancouver where these buildings can be up to 9 storeys with building height of 100 feet (30 m). The sizes
of these buildings are also worthy of mention as total floor space can be up to 312,000 ft2 (29,000 m2).
Current rules and regulations on the retrofitting and renovation of the historical tall wood buildings are
according to regional rules and regulations. There are differences between National Building Code of
Canada, Ontario Building Code and City of Vancouver By-laws due to the need to address seismic
resistance. Since heavy timber is acknowledged with higher fire resistance, it is common practice to
address the fire issue by installing sprinklers throughout these buildings.
The historical B & B tall wood buildings are treasured by the current tenants as no such buildings were
built after 1940s. Since the publication of the first National Building Code of Canada in 1941, the code
provisions for wood construction have focussed primarily on “light” wood frame construction that is
currently limited to 4 storeys which puts many of the historical tall wood buildings outside the boundaries
of “acceptable solutions” in the codes. Recently, a number of leading architects and engineers worldwide
started to use modern heavy timber products such as Glued-laminated timber, Structural Composite
Lumber (SCL) and Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) in modern tall wood buildings under “alternative
solutions” path.
Interesting to note that the 21st century’s first modern high-rise wood buildings are about the same height
as those that were built at the beginning of 20th century!
A renaissance in wood construction is underway. Stay connected.
 2013 FPInnovations. All rights reserved.
FPInnovations, its marks and logos are registered trademarks of FPInnovations
ii
Acknowledgements
FPInnovations expresses its thanks to NRCan (Canadian Forest Service), its industry members, the
Provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Yukon Territory, for their continuing guidance and
financial support.
The author likes also to acknowledge contribution from the following individuals for their time and
support on research to this project;
o
Mr. Andrew Harmsworth
GHL Consultants Ltd
o
Dr. David Moses
Moses Structural Engineers Inc.
o
Mr. Gilbert Reynard
Read Jones Christoffersen, Vancouver
o
Mr. Hugh Clark
Allied Properties REIT
o
Mr. Ken Fong
Read Jones Christoffersen, Toronto
o
Mr. Matthew Reid
Read Jones Christoffersen, Toronto
o
Mr. Michael Cruickshank
York Heritage Properties
iii
Table of Contents
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................................................... ii
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................................... iii
List of Tables.................................................................................................................................................................. v
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................................ v
1
Objectives ...............................................................................................................................................................1
2
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................1
3
Background .............................................................................................................................................................2
4
5
Staff ........................................................................................................................................................................2
Study.......................................................................................................................................................................2
5.1 Toronto ......................................................................................................................................................... 3
5.1.1 Distillery Historial District ............................................................................................................... 4
5.1.2 Toronto Carpet Factory (TCF) ....................................................................................................... 5
5.2 Vancouver .................................................................................................................................................... 6
5.2.1 The Landing ................................................................................................................................... 7
5.2.2 Leckie Building ............................................................................................................................... 8
6
Discussion...............................................................................................................................................................9
6.1 Ontario Building Code – Fire & Structural ................................................................................................... 9
6.2 Vancouver City By-law – Fire and Structural.............................................................................................. 11
6.3 Addition of Extra Floors – New Structures ................................................................................................. 11
6.4 Acoustic Issue ............................................................................................................................................ 12
6.5 NBC 1941................................................................................................................................................... 12
7
Conclusions ..........................................................................................................................................................13
8 References............................................................................................................................................................14
Appendix A List of Historical Tall Wood Buildings, Toronto and Vancouver ..............................................................15
Appendix B Photos of Historical Tall Wood Buildings, Toronto and Vancouver .........................................................19
Appendix C Office / Restaurant / Showroom and Exterior Wall and Connections ......................................................22
iv
List of Tables
Table 1 Summary of B & B Buildings in Toronto ..........................................................................................................4
Table 2 Summary of B & B Buildings in Vancouver .....................................................................................................7
List of Figures
Figure 1 Typical tall brick and beam buildings in downtown Toronto ...........................................................................1
Figure 2 Brick and beam office ....................................................................................................................................2
Figure 3 City of Toronto - Distillery, Entertainment and Fashion Districts, St. Lawrence Market and Liberty Village ...3
Figure 4 Trendy loft condominium................................................................................................................................4
Figure 5 Historical photos of Distillery District .............................................................................................................5
Figure 6 Distillery District today ....................................................................................................................................5
Figure 7 Toronto Carpet Factory, Toronto....................................................................................................................6
Figure 8 City of Vancouver – Gastown & Yaletown .....................................................................................................6
Figure 9 The Landing, Vancouver ................................................................................................................................8
Figure 10 Leckie Building, Vancouver..........................................................................................................................8
Figure 11 New top floors in Toronto and Vancouver ..................................................................................................12
v
1
Objectives
The objective of this study was to have a better understanding on:


2
The status and the conditions of the historical tall-wood timber buildings in Toronto and Vancouver
and how they are serving their current clients;
Related Codes and Acceptance issues in Ontario and British Columbia with regards to the historical
buildings.
Introduction
Tall wood buildings were built all across Canada during the period from 1850s and up to 1940. These
buildings were built with un-reinforced brick with mortar in exterior walls and heavy timber beam and
posts inside. They were originally built as factories, warehouses and manufacturing plants during the
industrial era. The buildings were up to 9 storeys with ceilings height up to 22 feet (6.9 m). The building
height can be as tall as 100 feet (30 m) and some buildings were large with total floor space up to 312,000
ft2 (29,000 m2).
This study provides background on the historical tall-wood buildings in the city of Toronto and
Vancouver and their status as well as discussions on how the building codes address the historical
buildings in Toronto and Vancouver. Figure 1 illustrated the typical tall brick and beam buildings in
downtown Toronto.
312 Adelaide Street West, Toronto
Built 1895 - 8 storey - 71,000 ft2
204-214 King Street East
Built 1901 - 7 storey – 134,430 ft2
Figure 1 Typical tall brick and beam buildings in downtown Toronto
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3
Background
In Canada, the term “Brick and Beam building” (B & B) is used to describe the adaptive re-use or repurpose of the industrial old brick buildings constructed in the late 1800s and early 1900's into unique
work or living environments. Urban renewal of Canadian cities has led to the renovations of these former
industrial buildings into trendy office and loft condominiums.
The B & B buildings have the unique combinations of high open ceilings, exposed wood structural
frames, open steel connections, exposed mechanical systems and sand blasted brick walls. These features
served as a form of expression and identification for their original owner tenant. As a result, these
attributes offers unique interior environments that appeals to people on many levels such as the offices as
illustrated in Figure 2.
Figure 2 Brick and beam office with exposed wood beams and steel connections
Corporate culture is a driving factor for tenants of B & B office space. Companies that strive for creativity
and inspiration are often attracted to B & B offices for their ability to host stimulating space. The B & B
Buildings are located in close proximity to central business districts and well-served by public
transportation. Due to increased demands for the B & B office, tenants are willing to pay premium lease
rates.
4
Staff
Kenneth Koo, P. Eng., P. E.
Erol Karacabeyli, P.Eng., M.Sc
Mohammad Mohammad, P.Eng., Ph.D.
5
Industry Advisor, Advanced Building Systems
Program Manager, Advanced Building Systems
Research Leader, Advanced Building Systems
Study
Toronto has high concentration of B & B buildings that have been converted mainly to offices and some
high-end/luxurious loft condominiums. They are located at the Toronto Entertainment District, Fashion
District and St Lawrence Market area. Two other districts with high concentration of B & B buildings are
the Distillatory District and Liberty Village area.
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The B & B buildings in Vancouver are located mainly in Gastown and Yaletown. In Ottawa, the historical
B & B buildings are mostly located in Byward Market. Kitchener also has the Warehouse / Innovation
District and Tannery District which has recently listed Goggle Canada as its tenant. Similar buildings
have also been identified in Montreal, where many historical tall wood buildings can be found near the
“Vieux Port”, mainly on St-Dizier and St-Paul streets.
5.1
Toronto
In Toronto, B & B buildings are spread from the east; Distillery District; through the downtown core; St
Lawrence Market, Entertainment and Fashion Districts; and all the way to the west; Liberty Village as
illustrated in Figure 3.
Figure 3 City of Toronto – Distillery, Entertainment and Fashion Districts, St. Lawrence
Market and Liberty Village
In Toronto, there are a group of companies that specializes to acquire, renovate, retrofit and manage
historical buildings to provide a dignified, sophisticated alternative to costly, conventional office space.
They are Allied Properties REIT, York Heritage Properties, WTF Group, Capital Buildings, Greenwin
Realty, YAD Investments Ltd, Dundee Realty Management Corp, Metro Ontario Group and others. Their
web sites had provided full documentation and details. The significant heritage buildings are usually
named such as Manufacturer's Building, The Reading Building and The Capital Building.
As a result, these companies acquired a reputation for the adaptive reuse of historical complexes and
received many heritage and community awards. The designers created space that is youthful, exhilarating
and attractive to a new corporate culture. These buildings are now fully updated with the latest modern
technology and amenities. They are now fully recognized as a distinct and important office category. The
top clients are telecommunication and information technology, business and professional services, media
& entertainment industry. Table 1 provides a summary of the B & B buildings that have been identified
in Toronto area.
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Table 1 Summary of B & B Buildings in Toronto
129 B & B buildings
2 to 8 storeys
100% of Total No. of
Buildings Identified
43 B & B buildings
5 storeys and higher
33% of Total
19 B & B Buildings
7 to 8 storeys
15% of Total
Maximum Height
100 ft. (30 m)
-
Maximum Building
Floor Space
220,000 ft2 (20,440 m2)
-
Years of construction
1859 and up to 1941
-
Appendix A-1: List of Historical Tall Wood Buildings - Toronto
The principal uses of these buildings are for office and retail occupancy. There are some buildings
converted to trendy loft condominiums such as the Candy Factory Lofts and Massey Harris Lofts (former
Massey Ferguson Head Office) such as in Figure 4.
Figure 4 Trendy loft condominium (photo courtesy: http://candyfactoryloft.com/?page_id=19)
5.1.1
Distillery Historial District
The Toronto’s Distillery District was designated as a national historic site as an outstanding example of
“Victorian industrial design in terms of integrity, historical association and aesthetic qualities” The
original historic site had 60 buildings. The 5 storey Stone Distillery is the oldest building built in 1859. In
1877, the Gooderham and Worts Distillery became the largest distillery in the world. Mr. George
Gooderham founded the Bank of Toronto, which later became TD Bank. Figure 5 illustrated the historical
photos of the Distillery District.
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Figure 5 Historical photos of Distillery District (photo courtesy: http://www.distilleryheritage.com/)
Figure 6 Distillery District today (photo courtesy: http://www.distilleryheritage.com/)
The Distillery District is now a pedestrian’s village for arts, culture and entertainment with more than 40
buildings. It is also the second largest film location outside Hollywood with more than 1700 films used
the site over the years as in Figure 6.
5.1.2
Toronto Carpet Factory (TCF)
The buildings were built as a carpet manufacturing facility between 1889 and the 1920s and are now an
office complex featuring several buildings clustered around internal courtyards and laneways. The
original manufacturing facility had employed over 1,000 people then and the same number of people are
working at various offices in the Toronto Carpet Factory today.
TCF occupies a full city block in size with a complex of eight buildings and a combined office space of
312,000 ft2 (29,000 m2) on four-acre site. The main building is 6 storeys with a total office space of
190,000 ft2 (18,000 m2). The ceiling heights range from 12 ft. (3.6 m) to 22 ft. (6.7 m). Figure 7 illustrated
the main building.
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Figure 7 Toronto Carpet Factory, Toronto
5.2
Vancouver
In Vancouver, BC, the Brick and Beam buildings are located mainly at Gastown and Yaletown areas as
illustrated on Figure 8.
Figure 8 City of Vancouver – Gastown & Yaletown
Gastown was originally the warehouse district in Vancouver. It was rebuilt in 1886 after "Great
Vancouver Fire" losing all but two of its buildings. It is now a mix of hip contemporary boutiques,
restaurants, nightclubs, professional offices and new upscale housing. Gastown has tall wood buildings as
well as heritage buildings such as the Landing and Leckie Building. The buildings have retail occupancies
in lower floors with residential occupancies in the upper floors. Some buildings were renovated with new
additional upper floors.
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Yaletown was an industrial area dominated by warehouses, factories and rail buildings. They are now
converted into loft style apartments and offices with boutique stores, bars and restaurants at the ground
level. Some buildings had also been renovated with new additional upper floors. Table 2 below provides a
summary of the B & B buildings that have been identified in Vancouver area.
Table 2 Summary of B & B Buildings in Vancouver
2 to 9 storeys
100% of Total No. of
Buildings Identified
5 storeys and higher
36% of Total
7 to 9 storeys
12% of Total
100 ft. (30 m)
-
175,000 ft2 (16,250 m2)
-
from 1905
-
50 B & B buildings
18 B & B buildings
6 B & B Buildings
Maximum Height
Maximum Building
Floor Space
Years of construction
Appendix A-2: List of Historical Tall Wood Buildings – Vancouver
The above is based on limited field observations.
5.2.1
The Landing
The Landing was constructed in 1905 as a warehouse building serving the gold rush miners during the
Klondike Gold Rush. It is one of the largest B & B buildings with a total floor space of 175,000 ft.2
(16,000 m2). It is a restored heritage building as the building was completely restored and renovated to
meet modern building codes in 1987. The owner listed the Landing as 8 storeys but one can actually
count 9 storeys from waterfront side as illustrated by Figure 9.
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Figure 9 The Landing, Vancouver
5.2.2
Leckie Building
Leckie Building is an Edwardian era warehouse/factory building with the first part of the structure built in
1908 and a large addition to the east was constructed in 1913. The building was renovated in 1991 and
won a City of Vancouver Heritage Award for the structural upgrading as shown in Figure 10.
Figure 10 Leckie Building and steel hardware for seismic reinforcement
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6
Discussion
With the adaptive re-use or re-purpose of the historical industrial old B & B buildings to the trendy new
offices and condominium, there is a need to renovate and retrofit with considerations for structural, fire
and other performance issues to satisfy the requirements of the local jurisdiction.
The B & B buildings can vary widely in terms of construction quality, material and current condition.
This is crucial as some buildings may be in poor shape due to years of neglect or poor maintenance. As a
result, there is a need for guidance in order to satisfy the safety requirements in accordance to local
building codes or city By-laws.
The approach to address the issues for historical buildings varies across Canada. National Building Code
of Canada (NBCC) addresses this issue in the User Guide – NBC 2010 Structural Commentaries;
“Commentary L: Application of NBC Part 4 of Division B for the Structural Evaluation and Upgrading of
Existing Buildings”. The purpose of Commentaries is to provide designer with detailed design
information that will assist in the use of Part 4 of Division of National Building Code of Canada 2010
(NBC 2010). The Commentaries are provided as background information but not as mandatory
requirements.
In Ontario, when a B & B building is renovated with a change in occupancy, such works falls under the
Ontario Building Code 2006 (OBC) - Part 10: Change of Use and Part 11: Renovations (OBC 2006). The
Ontario Building Code requires evaluation of the building when a renovation occurs and requires the
completed building to maintain its level of structural performance. All retrofit and renovation of historical
buildings for new occupancy must conform to Part 10 and Part 11 of OBC.
Province of British Columbia has adopted the National Building Code with amendments which applies
throughout the province with the exception of the City of Vancouver. The City of Vancouver adopts the
National Building Code with its own amendments as the Vancouver Building Bylaw. Of significance are
the amendments for Existing Buildings, referred to as Part 10 of the 2007 edition of the Vancouver
Building Bylaw and the guidance in the Appendix notes (Note that a new bylaw is anticipated to be
adopted in June, 2013, but will incorporate substantially the same issues). This is currently available at
the City Of Vancouver website http://former.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cbofficial/vbbl/part10.htm#104.
Section 10.4 Heritage Buildings provided Alternative Compliance Methods for Heritage Buildings.
In the United States where there are a substantial number of B & B buildings, ICC (International Code
Consortium) publishes the IEBC 2012 (International Existing Building Code 2012) which contains
requirements intended to encourage the use and reuse of existing buildings. The scope covers repair,
alteration, addition and change of occupancy for existing buildings and historic buildings, while achieving
appropriate levels of safety without requiring full compliance with the new construction requirements
contained in the other I-Codes.
The approaches are different and one must use caution to ensure conformance to the appropriate building
code and local By-laws.
6.1
Ontario Building Code – Fire & Structural
In renovating historical buildings for today’s use and occupancy, several issues, such as structural and fire
performance, becomes more significant when considering current building standards especially when the
building material is timber. Since all historical buildings were built prior to the publication of any
building code and engineering design code, there are considerable judgement and responsibility placed on
the designer and authority having jurisdiction.
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Part 10: Change of Use sets the requirements that a building subject to a change of major occupancy shall
satisfy the requirements of the relevant clauses as applicable to the new occupancy. The performance
level of a building after the change of major occupancy shall not be less than the performance level prior
to the change of major occupancy.
Part 11: Renovation addresses Classification of Existing Building, Proposed Construction, Performance
Level Evaluation and Compensating Construction and Compliance Alternatives. Existing Building is
classified by the Construction Index (CI) – construction type and Hazard Index (HI) – occupancy type.
Construction Index is a number between one and eight; with one is the lowest fire protection performance
level, and two types of construction: Combustible and Noncombustible. The published table lists that
Heavy Timber Construction is deemed-to-satisfy Fire Resistance Rating (FRR) requirements up to 45
minutes and CI of 5. The Hazard Index is measured on a scale of one to eight and based on the occupancy
types and building size. For historical buildings, it is common that Group F-3 occupancy (low hazard
industrial occupancy) will be amended to Group D (office) or Group C (residential) occupancy. The CI is
compared to HI to determine if an upgrade to the building is necessary. If the HI is higher, an upgrade
will then be required by the Compliance Alternatives. The common case is when the historical
manufacturing building with a CI of five encountered the HI of six, Part 11 offers the compliance
alternative. The common solution is to provide an automatic sprinkler system.
The engagement of an experienced code consultant will be valuable to establish the fire protection and
occupancy safety requirements in order to satisfy the requirement of OBC to provide the evaluation of the
building’s fire safety when a renovation occurs.
It is straightforward to evaluate the structural capacity of modern buildings as the full documentation of
building design is available. This is not the case with historical buildings and assessing the capacity and
adequacy of the structure becomes the responsibility of the engineering design team.
Even though the building had withstood the test of time, the structures should be evaluated for its
capacity. An expert engineer with knowledge in timber engineering will be crucial to inspect, evaluate the
timber, grades and species to provide an assessment of the timber structure. If necessary, renovations and
minor remediation may be required. The timber used in historical buildings is generally Douglas fir and
Northern species with Grade # 1 or better.
The B & B buildings were originally built for industrial applications such as factories, warehouse and
manufacturing with high ceilings for machinery in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The industrial loads
should be much higher than loads of today’s office occupancy. As a result, there should be no decrease in
performance due to change of occupancy. This is consistent as NBCC 2010 Table 4.1.5.3 Specified
Uniformly Distributed Live Loads on an Area of Floor or Roof for Factories Occupancy is 6.0 kPa,
Office Occupancy is 2.4 kPa (floors above 1st storey) and 4.8 kPa (basement and 1st storey) and
Residential Occupancy is 1.9 kPa respectively.
There are generally no visible signs of structural upgrades at buildings visited in Toronto with the
exception that all buildings are upgraded with automatic sprinklers for active fire protection. Discussions
with consultants in Toronto area did confirm the above observations. It was mentioned that minor
remediation was done by wrapping steel straps around some timber that had large surface cracks for one
particular job.
B & B buildings can withstand a certain amount of fire. An owner did confirm that one section of the
building was repaired and reinforced with a steel C channel after a fire. One consultant also confirmed
that some beams were refinished after a fire as they are judged to be structurally sound.
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6.2
Vancouver City By-law – Fire and Structural
The Office of the Chief Building Official publishes City of Vancouver Building By-law at the City of
Vancouver website http://former.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/CBOFFICIAL/vbbl/part10.htm#104.
Section 10.1 addresses Alteration, Addition and Change of Occupancy for an existing building with
construction or full upgrading of a building occurred after June 1, 1987. Section 10.4 “Heritage
Buildings” provided Alternative Compliance Methods for Heritage Buildings for the restoration and
rehabilitation of heritage buildings. One interesting observation is that buildings may be of combustible
construction up to 6 storeys provided (a) the building is entirely sprinklered; (b) the building contains
Group C, D, E, F-2 or F-3 occupancies, and (c) floor assemblies not required to exceed 1-h fire separation
requirements may be of heavy timber construction. In general, B & B buildings are vulnerable against
earthquakes as the seismic design procedures at the time of their construction were very limited.
Karacabeyli and Wong (1985) outlined several seismic upgrade methods such as adding a central
reinforced concrete core, strengthening the unreinforced masonry walls and connections, and connecting
floor diaphragms to the walls.
The process in British Columbia is similar as specialized engineers and experienced code consultants are
engaged to establish the structural, fire protection and occupancy safety requirements in order to satisfy
the requirements of Vancouver City By-law when renovation takes place. The two heritage buildings
were structurally upgraded for seismic resistance and other buildings should be upgraded for seismic
resistance also. Innovative metal connections are more apparent in Vancouver for seismic resistance.
Innovative solution was also developed such as the work on the Leckie Building.
The Landing was renovated in 1987 as reinforced concrete topping had been added with reinforcement
connected to the shear wall system. Upgrades are still taking place at the requests of the owner or the
tenant. Leckie Building was renovated in 1991 and won the City of Vancouver Heritage Award for the
structural upgrading. The steel rods, which run diagonally from the ground floor windows to the top
storey, are part of the innovative seismic upgrading system. They are tied to anchors which extend 90
feet (27 m) into the ground.
6.3
Addition of Extra Floors – New Structures
Some buildings added new floors to the top of existing B & B buildings as condominium and office. The
additions are defined as new structures and the entire building should then be evaluated and updated to
comply with the current structural and seismic requirements of Ontario and British Columbia Building
Codes. Figure 11 illustrated the additions in Toronto and Vancouver.
The updating to current building code also triggers the need to comply with the requirement of acoustic
separation. NBCC require every dwelling unit to be separated with construction providing sound
transmission class (STC) of at least 50. In general, the addition of reinforced concrete topping can
increase the sound resistance of the building assemblies.
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Figure 11 New top floors in Toronto and Vancouver
6.4
Acoustic Issue
National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) 9.11.2.1 specifies that each dwelling unit shall be separated
from each other space by construction providing a sound transmission class (STC) of at least 50.
However, NBCC 2010 did not acknowledge Impact Insulation Class (IIC) nor specify the minimum
requirement for IIC. Appendix A-9.10.3.1 Fire and Sound Resistance of Building Assemblies had listings
for various assemblies of wall, floors, ceiling and roofs. Table A-9.10.3.1.B Fire and Sound Resistance of
Floors, Ceilings and Roofs listed typical STC and IIC for various assemblies and finishes. Note 10
acknowledged that IIC values are for floors tested with no finished flooring.
US International Building Code (IBC) specifies that Sound Transmission Class (STC) and Impact
Insulation Class (IIC) between dwelling unit should be at least 50. IBC also acknowledged that field
measured FSTC and FIIC (field measurement) to be at least 45. Currently, NBCC does not acknowledge
nor reference FSTC or FIIC.
Most office occupants in the historical building in Toronto have acoustic issues – specifically ones
without concrete topping. The solid thick wood floor is a good acoustic transmitter for sound and impact
transmission. As a result, occupants of lower floor can hear others walking at upper level. This can be
simply addressed by having carpets and area rugs as a buffer. Other retrofitting techniques are also
available in the market, including acoustic members and addition of various types of top materials. It was
noted that there should be no acoustic issues in Vancouver as renovation with concrete topping which, in
a way, also addressed the acoustic issue.
6.5
NBC 1941
After reviewing Appendix A-1 and A-2, it is noted that the first tall wood building was built in 1859 in
Canada and the last tall wood building was built around 1940.
In 1941 the Federal Government of Canada published the first National Building Code. The maximum
permitted building height for a building constructed with combustible construction was limited to 4storeys with building height limited by the measured height in feet from the grade. The limit for Light
Wood Frame construction was 3 storeys with a building height up to 40 feet (12 m) of while the limit for
Heavy Timber construction was 4 storeys with a building height up to 75 feet (23 m).
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7
Conclusions
The historical brick and beam (B & B) buildings in Canada have been constructed in the late 19th and in
the early 20th Centuries. The combination of solid timber beams and columns, sandblasted brick walls,
high ceilings and central core locations have attracted a group of dedicated and devoted clientele.
This study confirmed that there are a substantial number of historical tall wood buildings in Toronto and
Vancouver where these treasured buildings can be up to 9 storeys with building height of 100 feet (30 m).
The sizes of these buildings are also worthy of mention as total floor space can be up to 312,000 ft2
(29,000 m2) . Similar buildings have also been identified in Montreal, where many historical tall wood
buildings can be found near the “Vieux Port”, mainly on St-Dizier and St-Paul streets.
While the B & B buildings that are as high as 9 storeys can be retrofitted and renovated according to the
regional rules and regulations, the current building codes only allow new heavy timber buildings up to 4
storeys because since the publication of the first National Building Code of Canada in 1941, the code
provisions for wood construction have focussed primarily on “light” wood frame construction.
Having a limit on 4 storey limitation on combustible construction in the building codes puts many of the
historical tall wood buildings outside the boundaries of “acceptable solutions”. Recently, a number of
leading architects and engineers worldwide started to use modern heavy timber products such as Gluedlaminated timber, Structural Composite Lumber (SCL) and Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) in modern
tall wood buildings under “alternative solutions” path in the Objective-Based approach such as provided
in current National Building Code of Canada.
Interesting to note that the 21st century’s first modern high-rise wood buildings are about the same height
as those were built at the beginning of 20th century!
A renaissance in wood construction is underway. Stay connected.
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8
References
Allied Properties REIT http://alliedreit.com/index.php
City of Vancouver Building By-law
http://former.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/CBOFFICIAL/vbbl/part10.htm#104
Distillery Historic District http://www.distilleryheritage.com/
International Code Consortium. 2012. International Existing Building Code. 2012. International Code
Council, Inc. Illinois, US.
Karacabeyli, E.; Wong, B. 1985. Seismic building upgrading for Vancouver's Gastown. Technical paper
series 8. British Columbia Heritage Trust. ISSN 0229-9976; 8.
Kruszelnicki, M. 2010. Rationalization of Life Safety- Code Requirements for Mid-Rise Buildings.
Masters Project — Final Report, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
National Research Council (NRC) 2005. National Building Code of Canada. National Research Council
of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
National Research Council (NRC) 2010. National Building Code of Canada. National Research Council
of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. 2006. Ontario Building Code (OBC). Toronto,
Ontario.
Reid, M. and Zurell, C. 2011. Designing for Timber-framed Buildings. Construction Canada. September
2011. http://www.kenilworth.com/publications/cc/de/201109/index.html
14 of 24
Appendix A
List of Historical Tall Wood Buildings, Toronto and Vancouver
15 of 24
Appendix A-1: List of Historical Tall Wood Buildings - Toronto (5 storeys and higher)
Property
1
345 Adelaide
2
379 Adelaide Street West
3
Area
Storey Description
Total (sq ft)
Office (sq ft)
Retail (sq ft)
Built
9,000
1906
7
seven storey, brick and beam structure
48,000
39,000
King West Central
5
Five Storey Brick and Beam Building
36,125
36,125
Entertainment
District
8
Eight-storey, brick-and-beam office/retail
building
71,008
65,343
4
Entertainment
District
6
six-storey brick-and-beam office/retail
building
28,024
5
331-333 Adelaide Street
West
Entertainment
District
6
building
6
Entertainment
District
7
7
8
49 Bathurst Street
9
10
11
Renovated
Circa 1900
1960s & 1990s
1895
Late 1990s
28,024
1933
Early 200s
23,713
23,713
1925
1999
seven-storey brick-and-beam office
building
47,024
47,024
early 1900s
1980s
7
135,000
King West Central
5
five-storey brick-and-beam office building
145 Berkeley Street
Queen-Richmond
East
6
building
70 Bond Street
downtown
6
six storey, brick and beam structure (per
photo)
1910
3 Church Street
St Lwrence
Market
7
(per photo)
1914
5
five-storey, Class I, brick-and-beam
office/retail building
60,207
64,000
King West
9,449
5,665
1920
8,124
1,325
1880s
1996
1981
1985
12
555 College Street West
41,062
13
30 Duncan Street
8
8 storey
14
144 front
8
8 storey
15
156 front
7
7 storey
16
179 John Street
Entertainment
District
8
building
66,844
66,844
17
204-214 King Street East
Queen-Richmond
East
7
seven-storey Class I brick-and-beam
office building
134,430
128,970
18
489 King Street West
King West Central
5
five-storey brick-and-beam office/retail
building
26,271
19
500-522 King Street West
King West Central
5
building
20
King West Central
7
21
King West Central
22
23
24
25
82 Peter Street
26
993 Queen Street West
27
111 Queen Street East
28
19,145
Circa 1940
2002
1920
Circa 1900
1980s 1990s
5,460
1901
1990s
15,621
10,650
Circa 1925
129,130
94,892
34,238
1872 & 1890
2000 & 2001
building
65,027
65,027
1910
1999
5
building
75,584
64,334
11,250
1903
1999
King West Central
5
building
51,102
28,054
23,048
1910
2000
King West Central
7
building
92,596
75,299
17,297
1910
2000
5
five storey, brick and beam structure
90,000
54,000
36,000
1904
5
building
47,098
38,811
8,287
1928
6
CANDY FACTORY LOFTS; 6 storey
residential lofts
Queen-Richmond
East
6
building
220,540
155,947
64,593
1870 - 1910
2000
468-496 Queen Street East
Queen-Richmond
5
building
107,195
62,273
44,922
Circa 1850
1992
29
70 Richmond Street East
Queen-Richmond
East
5
5-storey class I office building
34,414
34,414
1908
2006
30
579 Richmond Street West
King West Central
5
five-storey brick-and-beam office building
29,043
29,043
1931
80s - 90s
Entertainment
District
Appendix A-1: List of Historical Tall Wood Buildings - Toronto (5 storeys and higher)
Property
Area
Total (sq ft)
Office (sq ft)
Retail (sq ft)
Built
Renovated
31
364 Richmond Street West
Entertainment
District
5
building
40,256
22,956
17,300
1910s
1988
32
217-225 Richmond Street
West
Entertainment
District
6
building
48,903
35,393
13,510
1920s
1980s
33
116 Spadina
8
Eight storey, brick and beam structure
(per photo)
34
129 Spadina
7
65,000
57,000
8,000
1919
35
185 Spadina Avenue
Entertainment
District
7
building
55,814
55,814
36
99 Spadina Avenue
Entertainment
District
7
building
50,719
39,327
11,392
Circa 1900
37
197 Spadina Avenue
7
70,000
60,000
10,000
1920
38
80-82 Spadina Avenue
5
5 Storey Brick and Beam Building
69,112
53,103
16,009
1912
39
40-46 Spadina Avenue
5
This five storey brick and beam building
40
Toronto Carpet Factory
6
6 story brick and beam buildings, 8
buildings
41
9 Trinity Street
5
Stone Distillery is the oldest remaining
building on site - one 5-storey building
42
44-50 Wellington Street East
St. Lawrence
Market
5
5-storey brick-and-beam office/retail
building
32986
21937
43
193 Yonge Street
Downtown
8
building
51154
34836
King West Central
Liberty Village
Storey Description
1916
1997
1980's & 2010
2008
312,000
1899 - 1920
40 plus buildings
1859-1860
2001
11049
1900s
1980 & 1990
16318
1903
1986 1999
Appendix A-2: List of Historical Tall Wood Buildings - Vancouver (5 storeys and higher)
Property
Area
Storey Description
1
110 Water
Gastown
7
2
114 Water
Gastown
7
3
141 Water
Gastown
5+2
4
157 Water
Gastown
7
5
310 Water
Gastown
5
6
311 Water
Gastown
6
7
322 Water
Gastown
6
8
342 Water
Gastown
5
9
353 Water
Gastown
5
10
375 Water Street
Gastown
8
11
55 Water
Gastown
6
12
73 Water
Gastown
7
13
50 West Cordova
Yaletown
6
14
1090 Homer
Yaletown
5
15
1122 Mainland
Yaletown
5
16
1228 Hamilton
Yaletown
5
17
220 Cambie
Yaletown
7
18
840 Cambie
Yaletown
5
Total
Office
Retail
(sq ft)
(sq ft)
(sq ft)
Built
Renovated
1905
1987
2 levels of apartment added
The Landing
174,713
Hildon Hotel
1909
Leckie Building
1908 – 1913
91,746
1912
1991
Appendix B
Photos of Historical Tall Wood Buildings, Toronto and Vancouver
19 of 24
Appendix B-1: Photos of Historical Tall Wood Buildings, Toronto
Appendix B-2: Photos of Historical Tall Wood Buildings, Vancouver
Appendix C
Office / Restaurant / Showroom and Exterior Wall and Connections
- Interior Beam & Column
22 of 24
Appendix C-1: Office / Restaurant / Showroom and Exterior Wall
Appendix C-2: Connections - Interior Beam & Column

A Study on Historical Tall-Wood Buildings in Toronto

Transcription

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