Feasibility of Cross Laminated Timber Panels in Construction: A Case Study of Carbon12

Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) is an extremely strong engineered wood panel intended for roof, floor, or wall applications. Currently there is little research comparing CLT to steel and concrete, materials CLT hopes to replace This research uses a detailed literary analysis on CLT and case study on Carbon12, a recently constructed CLT structure in Portland, Oregon, to compare the cost and schedule requirements of CLT with a cast-in-place concrete slab. The case study consisted of a detailed analysis of Carbon12, interview with Scott Noble, senior project manager for Carbon12, and a detailed schedule and cost analysis. Results showed that for a concrete floor system used on Carbon12, material costs were far less than costs for a CLT floor system and labor costs were far greater than costs for a CLT floor system. For the schedule analysis, results showed that a concrete floor system would add an additional 10 weeks to the construction schedule of Carbon12. These results led to the conclusion that CLT is a feasible building material for dense, urban, mid-rise structures similar to Carbon12. The quick installation time, small crew, and environmental benefits of CLT outweigh the added costs of the material.