APA Blog for Professional Associates - Glulam

Wood Design Flexibility Webinar: Low-Rise to High-Rise

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:57:00 -0700

Engineered wood is the building material that flexes with your imagination offering a wide range of options for nearly any building type. This webinar will discuss the innovative use of glulam in a spectacular cathedral in Oakland, California and a wood-framed elementary school in Texas that exceeded all expectations for economy and aesthetics.

The construction experts at APA and WoodWorks offer this free online course which qualifies for a one-hour HSW credit through AIA and AIBD.

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Glulam Design Specification & Layup Publications Updated

Thu, 29 May 2008 08:36:00 -0700

APA has updated two publications pertaining to glued laminated timber (glulam) design specifications and layup combinations.

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2008 APA Publications Index Now Available

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:15:00 -0700

The APA Publications Index, Form B300 NN, has been updated. The revised 2008 index provides a complete listing of APA design and construction guides, product guides, builder tips, case histories, industrial publications and other materials available from the Association.

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Get the Details on SIPs

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 09:52:00 -0700

New structural insulated panel (SIP) CAD details are now being offered at www.apacad.org. [More]

Register Today for Upcoming APA Webinar

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 13:58:00 -0700

Join APA's knowledgeable engineered wood specialists for an informative webinar, Design Low-Rise Structures and K-12 with Wood, October 25 at 2 p.m. EDT.

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New Engineered Wood Construction Guide

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 10:05:00 -0700

APA just issued the 2007 Engineered Wood Construction Guide, the major reference manual for using engineered wood products in residential and commercial construction.

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Help Desk Question: Installing Glulam

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:06:00 -0700

Question: It is my understanding that glulam beams have a definite top and bottom, based on the camber which is marked, but that laminated veneer lumber (LVL) can be installed either way, regardless of the orientation of the lettering, because LVL has no camber.

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Glulam Beam Design Tables Updated

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:52:00 -0700

Glued laminated beams (glulam) are used in a wide range of applications in both commercial and residential construction. [More]

New Case Studies Highlight Projects of Winning Designers

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 09:14:00 -0700

APA just released three new case studies highlighting projects of winning designers in the "40 Under 40" program. APA partnered with Building Design and Construction magazine for a second year to recognize 40 of the brightest stars in architecture and building design that are under 40 years old.

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Texas School Features Engineered Wood

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 09:54:00 -0700

An increasing number of architects, engineers and school administrators are discovering the benefits of using engineered wood products in school construction. When compared to steel, wood schools are typically constructed faster, cost less and allow greater design flexibility.

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Magazine Discusses Opportunities for FRP Glulam

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 17:19:00 -0700

"New Opportunities for Fiber Reinforced Glued-Laminated Beams" is the title of a recently featured article in Structure Magazine. Co-authored by APA Vice President of Quality Assurance and Technical Services Tom Williamson, the article covers the advantages, recent developments and future possibilities of fiber reinforced glulam beams.

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Panelized Roofs Covered in BD+C

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 14:10:00 -0700

Panelized wood roofs have been used in commercial construction on the West Coast for more than 40 years, and are becoming increasingly popular in other parts of the U.S. and Canada. The popular wood roof systems were covered in the February issue of Building Design & Construction (BD+C). Senior Editor and Author Jay Schneider turned to APA for an overview on the all-wood and hybrid systems, and for information on using, specifying and installing panelized roofs. [More]

Overstressed Bowstring Trusses May Not Be Code Compliant

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 09:28:00 -0700

We recently read a very informative article on bowstring trusses that was published in the February issue of Structural Engineers Association of Washington (SEAW) Seattle Chapter Newsletter – "Equilibrium."

The article was written by Paul Gilham, P.E., and Terry McKee, P.E., both from Western Wood Structures. The authors discuss the performance of timber bowstring trusses, which have been used for many years in commercial and industrial applications. A significant issue related to these trusses is that several factors have led to the trusses being overstressed by today’s code requirements. [More]

Determining True and Apparent Modulus of Elasticity

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 10:19:00 -0700

The bending stiffness of a structural member is the capacity to resist deflection and is represented in equations as EI. The E is the modulus of elasticity of the material making up the structural member and the I is the moment of inertia of the cross section of the structural member.

When determining true (Shear-Free) and apparent modulus of elasticity, what are the differences in the test methods used? And what do the results mean to an engineer? [More]

Help Desk Question: What are the Risks Involved with Mixing Solid Sawn Lumber and Engineered Wood?

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 11:37:00 -0700

Every application where solid sawn lumber is used in conjunction with engineered wood must be looked at very carefully with respect to the material’s moisture content at the time of construction. The safest alternative is to not mix engineered wood with solid sawn lumber in any situation where load sharing might be an issue. [More]