Not too long ago, we were just a few employees marketing the Southeast by meeting with engineers and framing contractors trying to introduce a new product to the wood frame industry. The threaded rod system was an innovative product that met new demands in an ever changing construction industry. But, we had not fully seen the impact and need for the rod system in many markets. During that time we were only seeing two and three story projects on a single concrete slab, and the majority of engineers and contractors were using conventional holdowns and straps to secure buildings during high-wind and seismic events.
These initial marketing efforts seemed more evangelistic and evolutionary, than revolutionary at the time. Then, it all started to change quickly to get where we are today. With recent urbanization, increase in levels and larger slab loads – construction started experiencing higher demands on budgets, product capabilities, deadlines and skilled labor. The industry’s move towards taller structures drastically increased the forces of nature on wood frame multi-family structures and challenged the status quo of building products.
Two major challenges with taller wood frame buildings are the higher tension forces and increased accumulation of wood shrinkage as you build up. Both of these forces of nature cannot be stopped, but they can be compensated for with the use of innovative products.
Conventional hardware has a limited holdown capacity, and even more limiting is its inability to compensate for wood shrinkage. As wood frame structures are being built taller, some developers have learned hard lessons by installing conventional strapping for the use of shear wall holdowns. On multi-story structures, strapping is at risk of buckling and causing rolls in the exterior siding, increasing the liability of water intrusion and finish issues when wood shrinkage occurs. Because of these limitations, engineers and building contractors have used newer solutions, such as the CLP System. Read CLP Systems vs. Conventional Hardware to see more benefits.
Thanks to the innovation of the threaded rod tie-down system, these product limitations are eliminated by installing threaded rods within the wall cavity and using wood shrinkage compensation devices that keep tension on the system as the building shrinks. Read 3 Steps to Solve Wood Shrinkage Issues in Multi-Residential Buildings for more information.
Threaded rod systems also have three times the holdown capacity of conventional hardware, meeting the demands of modern wood frame apartment buildings. To learn how to increase your tie-down capacity in shear walls read Triple Your Holdown Capacities with Threaded Rod Systems.
Over the past several years, developers and engineers have exponentially adopted the rod tie-down system and eliminated conventional hardware for use in lateral holdown solutions. In a CLP customer interview, the president of a large engineering firm said the following in regards to their engineering belief on multi-story projects,
“I would never recommend straps. As far as I’m concerned it’s archaic. Everything we do is rods.”
To listen to this interview and hear more about what the industry has to say about rod tie-down systems WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
The rise of multi-family and recent urbanization continues to challenge the industry. Innovative products are being developed and conventional solutions no longer meet modern requirements. Rod systems are just one example of an innovative product that you want to use in your building to safely and effectively secure the long term structural integrity of your multi-story structure.
Thanks to our customers and the innovation in the industry, we have been able to grow into the market leader and provide a CLP System on over 3,000 projects in 39 states. We still continue to see exponential adoption of the rod system and are here to help customers defeat the hardware complexity on modern wood frame buildings. To learn more about rod system solutions visit www.clp-systems.com. Also, here are a few resources that identify advantages to specifying and installing continuous rod systems in wood frame multi-residential buildings:
1. Top 5 Reason to Install Rod Tie-Downs in Wood Frame Buildings
2. Triple Your Holdown Capacities with Threaded Rod Systems
3. Continuous Load Path Rod Systems
At CLP Systems, we partner with engineers and contractors to meet these new demands and keep continuous load path solutions cost-effective while safely securing wood frame structures during high wind and seismic event. Contact your local rep today and experience project success!
