Experimental Investigation of Durable Wood Panels for the Design of Relocatable Modular Buildings

As interest in a circular economy approach to construction grows, so does the development of innovative building component designs intended to be disassembled and reused in the future. Design for relocation of small buildings is an already active market in the construction industry (e.g., construction site offices, portable classrooms, etc.). At the end of their useful lives, these buildings are demolished and landfilled. With more attention to detailing for disassembly and greater intention on durability, the relocatable building market and temporary residential building markets can be transformed. This paper presents the results of an experimental program investigating the durability and reuse of a novel cross-laminated timber (CLT) modular wall-to-floor connection that has been detailed for ease of disassembly compared to a more traditional light-frame wood system. The development of a reusable connection capable of withstanding multiple loading scenarios will allow for applications in the residential or emergency markets, while also allowing for scaling as the construction industry shifts toward a circular economy. For each panel type, novel connections that can easily be assembled and disassembled were designed and implemented for testing. The durability of each panel type and connection detail were investigated under a loading regime that was deemed representative of the lifecycle of a relocatable building. Ultimately the durability of the two panels is evaluated and compared. A reusable and efficient panelized assembly designed for disassembly has shown the potential to replace the volumetric modular construction method that dominates the relocatable building market today.