Structural performance of a hybrid timber wall system for emergency housing facilities

This paper presents an innovative and sustainable timber constructive system that could be used as an alternativeto traditional emergency housing facilities. The system proposed in this study is composed of prefabricatedmodular elements that are characterized by limited weight and simple assembly procedures, which representstrategic advantages when it comes facing a strong environmental disaster (e.g. an earthquake). The completedismantling of structural elements and foundations is granted thanks to specific details and an innovativeconnection system called X-Mini, capable of replacing traditional anchoring devices (i.e. hold downs and anglebrackets) by resisting both shear and tension loads. This constructive system, denoted as Hybrid Timber Frame(HTF), takes advantage of the strong prefabrication, reduced weight of light-frame timber systems, and of theexcellent strength properties of the Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) panels. Specifically, the solid-timber memberstypically used in the structural elements of light-frame systems are replaced by CLT linear elements. The resultsof experimental tests and numerical simulations are critically presented and discussed, giving a detailed insightinto the performance of the HTF under seismic conditions.