Nail-laminated timber, Brentwood Station, in Burnaby, British Columbia, by Perkins+Will
Nic Lehoux Nail-laminated timber, Brentwood Station, in Burnaby, British Columbia, by Perkins+Will

ArchitectChats is kicking off its third season with an episode that continues our Timber on the Rise series, which highlights innovations and innovators in wood design and construction.

Enticed by the aesthetic, sustainability, and versatility of engineered wood, architects, building owners, and developers continue to express interest in mass timber design and construction in the United States. Nail-laminated timber (NLT) is one of the simplest and most accessible products in the growing family of engineered wood products, which also includes cross-laminated timber, glue-laminated timber, and dowel-laminated timber. As its name suggests, NLT consists of stacked dimension lumber nailed together to create a multilayered construction material.

Rebecca Holt
Rebecca Holt

One would be hard-pressed to find a designer in the U.S. who knows more about NLT than Rebecca Holt, a senior sustainable building adviser and associate based in the San Francisco office of Perkins+Will. As co-editor of the first U.S. Nail-laminated Timber Design and Construction Guide, released last May, Holt offers design guidelines and considerations for architects pursuing NLT in their projects. She was also the lead author of the 2014 Survey of International Tall Wood Buildings, which consolidated testimonials and experiences from architects around the world who have worked on high-rise timber structures.

In this podcast episode, Holt shares the benefits of NLT as well as what developments are on the horizon for mass-timber construction in the U.S. since the landmark 2014 survey.

Episode 19: Timber on the Rise, Part 5 - The Case for Designing with Nail-Laminated Timber, featuring Rebecca Holt, is available on SoundCloud and on iTunes.

Nail-laminated timber barrel vault ceiling, the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability, Vancouver, British Columbia, designed by Perkins+Will
Martin Tessler Nail-laminated timber barrel vault ceiling, the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability, Vancouver, British Columbia, designed by Perkins+Will
Nail-laminated timber in the stair detail of Orchard Commons, in Vancouver, British Columbia, designed by Perkins+Will
Michael Elkan Nail-laminated timber in the stair detail of Orchard Commons, in Vancouver, British Columbia, designed by Perkins+Will
Curvilinear nail-laminated timber ceiling in Samuel Brighouse Elementary School in Richmond, British Columbia, designed by Perkins+Will
Nic Lehoux Curvilinear nail-laminated timber ceiling in Samuel Brighouse Elementary School in Richmond, British Columbia, designed by Perkins+Will

This episode of ArchitectChats was brought to you by the Think Wood, and produced by Lauren Honesty and Wanda Lau.