Rollerstud98 said:
When are we going to start seeing wood up to 12 storeys here?
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Mountain Man said:
Will be allowed in the next building code cycle I believe, currently we are limited to 6 storey. Apart from that, it has to be economicaly viable to build, no idea about that part.
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Just curious what people's thoughts are on building wood frame that tall? I love that it's economical, and I'm assuming wood is better environmentally than concrete, but I can't help but wonder what the lifespan is for something that that tall made of wood.
 
Does living in a wood building still suck? I lived in a 3 story wood walk up that was probably built in the mid 90s and every sound above us and beside us and on the stairs could be heard. I live in a concrete highrise now and the noise level is night and day better although we can still occasionally here stuff coming from above. I know building techniques have improved since the 90s but that would be my big deciding factor. 6 story mid-rises seem to have a wider built form so the noise would be more evenly distributed. For 12 stories we would probably be talking narrower point towers which could lead to lots of concentrated noise in wooden units.
 
The building itself is fine, it’s pretty inoffensive, but it would be better suited to UD or Currie Barracks, not this intersection. If it’s economical to build concrete high rise at 14 St & 10 Ave, it should be economical to build it 7 blocks south on the same street.
 
Surrealplaces said:
Just curious what people's thoughts are on building wood frame that tall? I love that it's economical, and I'm assuming wood is better environmentally than concrete, but I can't help but wonder what the lifespan is for something that that tall made of wood.
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I know they use fireproofed wood, but I’d hate to see a fire happen in a 12 storey building made of wood. Things could get ugly.
 
Rollerstud98 said:
When is the next cycle? I thought the government already gave it the go ahead a few years ago.
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New codes are usually every 5 or so years, so I would expect a new Alberta building code in 2023-2025. There is a new National code already, and the A.B.C. is a modified version of that, so if you are curious you could see what is allowed in the 2020 N.B.C.

Buildings above 6 storeys need to be heavily engineered wood to support the loads, so think things like Glulam beams and columns. These are very hard and dense products that would act more closely to steel or concrete than they would to wood.
 
Rollerstud98 said:
When are we going to start seeing wood up to 12 storeys here?
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Atticus said:
I know they use fireproofed wood, but I’d hate to see a fire happen in a 12 storey building made of wood. Things could get ugly.
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It's not stick frame, it's Mass Timber - they're completely different in almost every single way. Stick frame (i.e. 2x6's @ 18" o/c) can't handle the vertical load of a 12 storey building, and the plywood/nails is not capable of withstanding the lateral load.

The use of Glulam, CLT, etc. is becoming much more common for mid-rise. There's many ways to fireproof it, but you honestly don't really need to. Mass Timber actually has better performance in fire than Steel. It's counter intuitive, but the research is definitive.

The sound is also much different, you're not using pre-fab joists and stud walls to separate units. They often use large CLT panels, sometimes with concrete topping. Concrete elevator core and stairwells too. Completely different experience, and basically net-zero embodied carbon. Structural design has come a long way in the last decade, but most of the old-guard engineers haven't learned the new techniques yet. Until they do, those designs will come from the young and/or innovative firms.
 
For such a prominent corner of the city, this building has a really terrible street-level interface. Look at all the giant blank walls and the concrete planters. At ground level, it looks like the kinds of things that were built in the Beltline in the 70s and 80s. If this design gets approved, it will be a huge loss for the area.
 
Wow. Another dud by Arlington. At first I thought this was something in the University District (which could be ok). But this layout with the ground floor treatment at such a prominent intersection is beyond disappointing. It makes the tacky faux clocktower pub across the street look amazing by comparison.

What currently stands as an eclectic mix of buildings and retail is set to become a suburban looking monolith. I thought ASI wanted 17th Ave to feel more metropolitan. They are ensuring the opposite with this. And who thought putting a courtyard on a high street was a good idea?
 
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On Arlington official website
 

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I can see why they haven’t posted this on their social media accounts. What an embarrassment of a building.
What a waste of the property.
 

The Sentinel - Arlington Group

The Sentinel Located at the intersection of 17th Avenue and 14th Street SW, The Sentinel sits at one of the most high traffic intersections in central Calgary, yet it is one of the most under serviced commercial, retail and residential […]
www.arlingtonstreet.ca www.arlingtonstreet.ca

On their project website, Arlington said they would open an urban grocer on the ground floor? Like a wholefood? Sunterra?

A grocery store there would be very nice! No more walk to co-op or urbanfare😂
 
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