AN INSIGHT ON THE ROLE OF THE DESIGN PROCEDURES ON DAMAGE TOLERANCE AND COST OF CLT BUILDINGS IN SEISMIC AREAS

Physical characteristics of timber as a construction material offer a high-performance option for the design and erection of buildings in seismic-prone area. Massive Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) buildings represent a vehicle to increase the building sustainability and a robust workaround to heavyweight constructions. This paper is intended as a contribution in the reviewing the most common design procedures for the seismic design of CLT buildings and their implications on structural features and technological solutions, focusing the attention particularly on overall seismic performance, damage tolerance, construction costs and environmental impact. As a starting point of a more comprehensive study, the assessment is made with reference to a real building, which is representative of a wide class of buildings recently designed and erected in many Italian regions exposed to low and moderate seismic hazard. As a common reference, the analysis has been carried out according to a two-dimensional model of the panels, assumed to be elastic, varying the type of connections at the base, the presence of pre-stressing steel bars for rocking control and of dissipative devices. The main outcomes of the study can be summarized as follows: (i) the structural seismic behavior of CLT buildings is significantly influenced by the structural schemes adopted for walls and connections; (ii) construction costs and environmental impact decrease when enhanced design procedures are used.