Design & Engineering

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AND DESIGN

Our in-house design and structural engineering department brings a combined industry experience of over 20 years to your building project. Our team participates in the development of national CLT manufacturing and design standards and are knowledgeable of mass timber building code acceptance and innovative design solutions developed in academia and for specific projects around the world. We can work directly with the engineer of record to provide design guidance and help educate the next generation of industry professionals or can partner with a local engineering firm licensed in 50 U.S. states and 7 Canadian provinces to complete the design internally.

SMARTLAM DESIGN-ASSIST

SmartLam’s interdisciplinary staff of designers, structural engineers, industry professionals and manufacturing experts are dedicated to optimizing a solution for every project. Bringing our team on-board as a design-assist partner early in the design process to work directly with the owner, architect, engineers and construction team will ensure reduced project delivery times.

As a manufacturer of CLT, we are often able to provide the missing link for project teams who are not familiar with the manufacturing process or typical detailing requirements. Through close coordination, SmartLam has been involved in projects that have achieved success through shorter design schedules, value engineering, reduced construction schedules and better performing structures overall. Thanks to these previous successes, we’re able to provide numerous design-assist services for your current or future projects.

Featured Services:
• Building code analysis and interpretation
• Schematic and preliminary design of steel and mass timber structural framing systems to optimize layout plans and reduce member sizes
• Design development
• Custom glulam design including tapered and arched
• Peer design review
• Constructability review to maximize prefabrication opportunities and reduce installation time
• Deferred submittal engineering
• Value engineering
• Mass timber connection systems
• Mass timber composite design
• CLT floor vibration
• Mass timber fire design
• Nonlinear finite element analysis
• Desk studies and testing of innovative mass timber systems

PREFABRICATION THROUGH 3D MODELING AND SHOP DRAWINGS

SmartLam NA runs a Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) process. One mass timber advantage over other types of structures is the ability to prefabricate – saving time and money on the job site, installation efficiency is maximized and costly mistakes can be avoided. After working closely with your design team to reach an effective building solution and prepare construction documents, SmartLam models every structure using an industry wide 3D modeling software.

Beyond SmartLam CLT, wood and steel beams, connectors and fasteners can all be included in the model, allowing our experienced designers to identify potential installation issues, optimize fabrication and reduce labor on-site. From our precise 3D model, we generate shop drawings and send cutting paths directly to our CNC machines for final processing. While this process often takes longer than the actual production time, it is important that the construction team plans for this design and coordination in advance which will ultimately save time and headaches on the job site during installation.

Our drafting and modeling experts can provide the following advantages for your current and future mass timber projects:
• Advanced Cadwork modeling including CLT, glulam, steel and auxiliary building elements
• Direct shop drawing output for CLT, GL and steel
• Export/import IFC files that will interface with most 3D software programs (AutoCAD, Revit, Rhino, and others)
• Optimize CLT panel nesting
• Direct digital output to CNC machine
• Precise connection interfaces for accurate detailing
• Coordination and modeling of trade openings including mechanical, electrical and pluming
• Material and fastener take-offs for sourcing and procurement
• Virtual walk throughs
• Clash detection
• Define assembly order and automate installation
• Identify center of gravity of panels for pick points and lifting on-site

Design & Engineering

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AND DESIGN

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