Browsing by Author "Stenson, Jason"

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    Acoustic Lab Testing (ASTM E492-2016, ASTM E90-2016) of Multi-Family Residential CLT and MPP Wall and Floor Assemblies
    (Institute for Health in the Built Environment, University of Oregon, 2019-03) Van Den Wymelenberg, Kevin; Northcutt, Dale; Fretz, Mark; Stenson, Jason; Zagorec-Mark, Ethan
    The use of mass timber panels is becoming a popular choice for construction due to concerns about climate change, resource sustainability, the need for construction efficiencies and the human biophilic affinity for wood. Developed about three decades ago in Austria, panelized mass timber products have been used in Europe for some time but are now gaining market traction across North America and represent an opportunity for designers, developers, engineers and contractors. With this new design opportunity in North America comes jurisdictional code performance requirements that need to be demonstrated to building authorities in the United States. Among these are requirements for fire, seismic and acoustic testing. Acoustics standards in the United States are prescribed by various organizations, such as the International Code Council (ICC), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), American Nation Standards Institute (ANSI), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) and are codified by jurisdiction based on building typology. In addition to code requirements, the economics of occupant satisfaction and well-being play a role in project development. Economic studies have shown that consumers value spaces with higher acoustic quality and display a willingness to pay for the relief from unwanted noise.1 Furthermore, noise intrusion in places where people spend a majority of their time has been shown in a body of literature to effect cognitive function, disrupt sleep patterns, promote irritability, and provoke heart conditions.2 Therefore, in order for a housing project to perform, it must not only meet code requirements but also market expectations for high quality, acoustically separated living spaces. The acoustic performance of mass timber panels is measured by two metrics: STC (sound transmission class) and IIC (impact insulation class). STC, for example, is how well a wall assembly acoustically separates two spatial volumes. IIC is a measurement of how well a floor dampens the sound transmission of an impact between two adjacent spatial volumes, be that a dropped object or footstep. For multifamily housing, the International Code Council (ICC) prescribes a wall and floor assembly performance standard to meet or exceed a STC rating of 50 in a lab test (ASTM E 90 )or 45 in field tests (ASTM E 336) and IIC rating of 50 in a lab test (ASTM E 492) or 45 in field tests (ASTM E 1007).3 Using industry standards such as ICC, HUD, ANSI, FGI as a starting point for designing a series of floor and wall assemblies we hope to find high performing cost-effective acoustic solutions for mass timber assemblies that can be readily adopted by design teams and jurisdictional authorities . In addition, this study aims to provide more third-party verified data on CLT + MPP acoustic performance and disseminate it into the public sphere.
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    Forest to Facade: Developing an Application for Mass Plywood Panels in Seismic and Energy Wall Retrofits
    (Institute for Health in the Built Environment, University of Oregon, 2023) Casey, Flynn; Fretz, Mark; Narancic, Payton; Northcutt, Dale; Sheine, Judith; Stenson, Jason; Van Den Wymelenberg, Kevin; Barbosa, Andre; Mann, Phil; Orozco, Gustavo Fernando; Gerig, Mark
    The project is a collaboration between the University of Oregon (UO)'s Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory and Oregon State University (OSU) through the TallWood Design Institute (TDI), a collaboration between UO’s College of Design and OSU’s College of Forestry and College of Engineering that advances engineered timber products and their application through research and testing. This project demonstrates a system of prefabricated panels built with MPP that can be rapidly applied on-site over existing building cladding to upgrade older light-wood-frame one- to three-story buildings to meet or exceed current energy and seismic codes.
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    Milwaukie Courtyard Housing Project (MCHP) Energy Analysis
    (Institute for Health in the Built Environment, University of Oregon, 2023-02) Fretz, Mark; Mahic, Alen; Northcutt, Dale; Sheine, Judith; Stenson, Jason
    Our society is facing a set of converging challenges. Climate change, with its associated health impacts, social inequalities, homelessness, access to healthcare, caring for an aging population, unaffordable housing and a pandemic are all affecting the health of individuals, communities and the planet. The Milwaukie Courtyard Housing Project (MCHP) is a proposed systematic response to these challenges through the innovative use of panelized Mass Plywood Panel (MPP) wood products in single-family residential construction coupled with new urban cluster housing infill development and infrastructure models. Higherdensity courtyard infill housing of small individual or paired units can provide an alternative to multifamily developments in traditional single-family neighborhoods for what is called “workforce housing” aimed at affordability at 80% -120% of area median income (AMI). By working to meet Net Zero energy goals, the homes are designed to be energy efficient, have significantly less embodied carbon than light wood frame assemblies, and be affordable to middle income families. The MPP panelized designs are optimized for aesthetics, affordability, energy efficiency, resilience and biophilic benefits of wood. This new approach to residential construction seeks to decrease land costs per unit, reduce travel distances to work and play (thus, lowered transportation carbon emissions and cost savings), and provides shared ‘grid-enhancing’ solar microgrid energy and water infrastructure. This infrastructure will provide benefits to the larger grid during normal conditions while being capable of sustaining operations within the courtyard “cluster” during grid-disrupting events. The courtyard cluster model is intended to be large enough to take advantage of economies of scale but small enough to facilitate construction without requiring significant municipal investment. On-site infrastructure is intended to increase the resiliency of water and energy resources while reducing lifetime operational costs. The research and development team hopes to demonstrate that this approach is affordable over time and thereby increase access to resilient clean energy and water resources in underserved communities that are increasingly exposed to the adverse impacts of climate change. The Milwaukie Courtyard Housing Project brings an affordable, replicable, mass timber, smallplex solution to a overpriced housing market. The project addresses overlapping issues that are designed to benefit the end users, including Energy Trust customers: smart densification, sustainable building, and below market-rate housing. All aspects of the project are ‘energy sensitive,’ from the design to the construction of the energy-efficient homes themselves. The energy efficiency goals will contribute to housing affordability for Energy Trust customers.