Originally, I wanted to try to use as much mass timber as possible in the space. In the photo above, a rock climbing gym in Quebec was able to complete their rock climbing gym built out of mass timber and cross laminated timber. However, I realized after researching the materials needed for the actual climbing walls that this was going to be very challenging to do in terms of the 50-foot line wall. The bouldering walls, while remaining possible to achieve this goal, it will take away from the user experience in terms of shorter walls, smaller spaces, etc. Bouldering walls are typically made from steel frameworks that are attached to an existing structure (the wall) or supported by its own structure (columns). Then the bouldering wall of sheeted plywood and other materials like resins are connected on the sides of the frame. My overall strategy for the structural framing was to account for the large spaces in which columns were unable to exist. Therefore, I knew I needed to use the steel for the roof and rope climbing section.

I became really inspired when reading this article on a new system developed at Dartmouth that uses 3D modeling, fabrication, and other techniques to recreate popular outdoor rock climbing routes for indoor spaces. This would be so cool to incorporate into my design, most likely in the advanced bouldering area in the gym.

The wall below is made from a steel framework that is bonded to an internal fiberglass lining, then covered in a long-lasting polymer resin to give the wall a natural look.

For the most part, the grid was straightforward. However, there is an area that follows along the curved side of the building that needed specific lines to mark out the areas in which columns would not work. The main example of this can be seen where the bathroom stalls are located in the locker rooms on the first floor of the building.

Level 1:

Level 2:

I used as much timber as I could in my framing. For the main climbing center that contains high walls, I had to use steel framing in order to support the rock like material that would be plastered onto the frame. I also used steel framing for the advanced bouldering area. However, I was able to use timber framing for the rest of the building including the beginner/intermediate bouldering area, gym, café, seating area, lobby, and locker rooms. The steel framing was coupled with steel columns as well, W shaped 12x40. The steel framing was the Wshapes W12x26. The timber framing was coupled with timber columns made from 10x18 softwood lumber Glulam Western species. The timber framing used was also Glulam Western species but the dimensions were 10.75x18.

The main structural columns were located roughly on the gridline intersections. These points consisted of the full outer line of the building, as well as columns in the walls of different areas of the gym. The location of the major framing elements can be seen within the bouldering areas as well as the rope climbing area. Overall, the main areas for columns were an inch away from or within the separating walls. The main area of focus for the framing elements were in the climbing areas themselves due to the important structures needed to build the rock climbing walls themselves. The main climbing area has steel framing all the way up to the roof, while the bouldering areas are broken up into individual levels and could therefore have shorter framing and columns.

The main challenge I had to work with for the structure of the building was regarding the climbing wall structures themselves. Because of the different purposes of each climbing wall, I had to evaluate the materials separately based on intent and location. For the advanced boulder areas, I had to use steel frames due to the complex wall materials needed to create realistic walls. Additionally, I had to use steel framing for the rope climbing walls as well due to the height of the walls as well as the climbing wall materials. However, for the beginner/intermediate bouldering area, I was able to use mass-timber framing due to the lower height and simplicity of the wall material makeup, as demonstrated in the gym located in Quebec above.

Overall, it was upsetting to realize that I could not utilize mass timber for the climbing areas. However, I was able to use it for other areas in the gym like the workout area, locker rooms, and lobby. I will take that as a small victory.

Architectural model here: https://acc.autodesk.com/docs/files/projects/a1aab0b7-fb90-4335-b850-011955780722?folderUrn=urn%3Aadsk.wipprod%3Afs.folder%3Aco.bmjpAFtQSHKNn95KhpQDvw&entityId=urn%3Aadsk.wipprod%3Adm.lineage%3Aq-d_2bRNTP2q8b3lTgu7cw&viewModel=detail&moduleId=folders