Applications of Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) in High-Rise Buildings

1. Concrete-Formwork Beams & Soldiers
   LVL鈥檚 high bending strength (鈮� 45 MPa) and 24 m stock lengths make it ideal for tall-building jump-forms. Contractors use 90 脳 240 mm LVL soldiers and walers to support 3 kN/m虏 fresh-concrete pressures on 4 m floor-to-floor heights, cutting weight by 30 % compared with steel walers and allowing crane-free manual handling at 200 m above ground .
2. Scaffold & Access Platforms
   38 脳 225 mm orange-tint LVL planks certified to OSHA/EN 12811 are widely employed as working decks during fa莽ade installation of 40-plus-storey towers. Their predictable 2 kN single-point load capacity and low creep give a safety factor > 2.5 for 2 m spans, while the resin-impregnated face resists cement alkalis for 25+ re-uses .
3. Hybrid Wall-Studs & Gravity Columns
   Mid-rise (8鈥� storeys) timber-concrete-hybrid cores use 2 脳 45 脳 290 mm LVL studs screwed-and-glued into 290 脳 290 mm built-up columns. The product鈥檚 E 鈮� 14 GPa delivers EA comparable to 150 脳 150 mm steel SHS but at one-fifth the weight, reducing seismic mass and foundation costs . Intumescent gypsum board then provides REI 90 fire rating required for shafts.

4. Floor Joists in Timber-Concrete Composite Decks
   51 脳 200 mm LVL joists at 400 mm centres act as the tension chord in 8 m spans when paired with 70 mm thin-cast concrete slab and shear connectors. The 50 % mass reduction versus cast-in-place RC slabs damps wind-induced accelerations, satisfying ISO 10137 comfort criteria for top-storey residences in 80 m timber towers .

Wind & Seismic Drag-Struts / Belt Beams
Continuous LVL rim beams (2-ply 45 脳 360 mm) are placed at every third floor to act as horizontal diaphragm collectors. Their ductile failure mode (steel rod anchorage yields before wood crushes) gives 鈮� 150 kN tie capacity, distributing shear to CLT cores and improving drift control under 1-in-500-year seismic events .

Prefabricated Service Risers & Shaft Linings
90 mm thick LVL panels CNC-cut with MEP knock-outs are lifted in 6 m modules, forming lift-shaft liners that meet REI 90 when lapped with two layers of 15 mm Type F board. Factory precision (卤1 mm) ensures stack-perfect verticality in 20-storey assemblies, eliminating onsite trimming and reducing fit-out time by 25 % .