Tool Overview

The bay design tool is a web-app that can be used to find preliminary structural sizes for a typical structural bay. Member sizes are chosen using two steps: analysis of the loads on the structure and design of the structural elements to withstand those loads. The checks performed by the tool are similar to those that may be completed 'by hand' by a structural engineer in the early phases of a design. Note, no limitations are placed on the possible combinations of materials, but some combinations may be difficult to accomplish in practice.

To reach the specified sizes, many assumptions are made, and the following page overviews some of those major technical assumptions. If you have further questions or suggestions, please contact us at [email protected].

General Assumptions

For the system, it’s assumed that:
• Only a single bay of the structure is analyzed, even if more bays are shown.
• The bay analyzed is an interior bay at the bottom of the building.
• When the system has beams, it’s assuming the floor spans between two beams, even if only one span is shown in the program.
• Where a secondary set of beams frame into a primary set of beams, the primary beams are forced to be as deep as the secondary beams.
• All beams members are considered laterall braced by the floor against buckling.
• Only a single bay of the structure is analyzed, even if more bays are shown

Embodied Carbon

For embodied carbon:
• Embodied Carbon global warming potential values are taken from Environmental Product Decleration’s (EDP) for different materials.
• EDP’s included include cradle-to-gate stages: A1 (raw material supply), A2 (raw material transportation), A3 (manufacturing).

Mass Timber

For mass timber elements:
• Designs are completed according to CSA O86-19.
• Panels and glulam members have fabrication and shipping constraints that vary between suppliers. Layouts should be reviewed with your selected suppliers.
• Floor panels are assumed to be two-span continuous, equally loaded interior panels.
• Calculations are performed using Douglas Fir species for columns, girders, and purlins; Spruce-Pine-Fir species used for CLT panels.
• Vibration calculations are preliminary and should be investigated on a case-by-case basis.
• CLT with large structural spans (6.5m+ between beams) may require special manufacturing considerations and may not be possible in your region.

Steel

For steel elements:
• Design is completed according to CSA S16-19.
• Steel columns and HSS's are taken from AISC's section database for W and HSS sections..
• For composite deck, the only decks considered by the tools are those that can span the input distances unpropped.
• Fire is not considered in the design.

Concrete

For concrete elements:
• Concrete design is completed according to CSA A23.3 and relevant span to depth ratios.
• Concrete members are taken to be precast when combined with other materials.
• When only concrete is selected, the system is taken to be poured monolithically.
• Fire is not considered in the design.