Novel Panelized Roof Design for Offsite Fabrication of Residential Light-Frame Wood Homes

Abstract

Panelized fabrication of light-frame wood buildings has higher productivity than the traditional stick-built method. However, the roof production process is inefficient due to the structural system and construction method. This study proposes a novel roof system to improve the productivity of the panelized construction process for light-frame wood residential building fabrication. This unique system uses a holistic approach to design several roof components considering structural requirements, manufacturing efficiency, and on-site installation factors. This paper presents a case study of the gable roof of a two-story building to demonstrate the implementation of this novel system. The two main components of the novel roof system are the ceiling frame and roof panels. Ceiling frame analysis showed that three different fabrication options are possible in the current off-site setting. Twenty-four nail-connection specimens were tested under shear and uplift loading to determine the load–slip response of nail connections used in structural composite wood such as oriented strand board (OSB) and laminated strand lumber (LSL). The roof panel design requirement was determined based on the nail connection test and finite-element analysis. The results showed that ceiling frames for a gable-type roof can be produced economically using a floor panel production line, and roof panel fabrication is possible using the current wall panel production line.