Dynamic response of an innovative hybrid structure in hardwood

Abstract

In the context of the development and promotion of innovative and efficient hybrid timber structures, a pilot building, the ETH House of Natural Resources, has been designed. The building comprises three innovative structural systems, a post-tensioned timber frame, a composite beech laminated veneer lumber–concrete floor and a biaxial timber slab made of cross-laminated timber and beech laminated veneer lumber. The building will serve as an office building for the laboratory of hydraulics, hydrology and glaciology of ETH Zurich; as a ‘living lab’ for the implementation of a permanent sensor network for long-term monitoring purposes; and as a setup for a field testing campaign of in situ tests at different construction stages. Results of the first two series of this testing campaign and the derived modal characteristics of the structure are presented in this paper. The obtained modal data will extend the knowledge base on innovative hybrid timber structures and help to predict structural response for the case of significant loads such as high wind loads or earthquakes, through an extended model element updating procedure.