Over the last decade — in outlets reaching from construction industry journals to the Boston Globe and the Economist; from CNN and Fast Company to Popular Mechanics; to Nautilus and TED talks — we’ve been hearing increasingly about mass timber and related phenomena:...

In the last few years, Simpson Strong-Tie has heard from a number of structural engineers expressing frustration with the lack of performance data for shallowly embedded, post-installed anchors (shallow anchors). Engineers of Record (EOR) have identified a common application for shallow anchors...

Since the introduction of strength design for post-installed anchors in IBC 2000, determining the designed capacity of anchors has become increasingly complex. Dozens of variables, such as geometry, concrete conditions, and the specific properties of different anchor types, make a quick,...

Whether you’re designing and building a one- or two-story single-family residence, or doing the same for a multifamily, mid-rise wood-frame structure, fire and smoke protection features must be considered, and in most cases are required. When a fire starts, time is of the essence and the...

In this follow up to our July webinar, Innovations in Strength and Versatility: Overview of the Strong-Wall® High-Strength Wood Shearwall, we answer some of the interesting questions raised by attendees. During the webinar, we discussed the new Simpson Strong-Tie® Strong-Wall...

As lumberyards continue to recover from pandemic-related supply issues, there’s been an ever-increasing shortage of building materials, creating many challenges for building contractors. These shortages have impacted availability of wood structural panel sheathing and, as a result, our...

While stick-frame roofs are sometimes preferred to premanufactured roof trusses in some areas of the country because they can accommodate larger attics, higher ceilings, and complex roof shapes, the code requirements for these roofs are often more complex. That’s largely because, unlike...

The way we evaluate a stick of lumber may be changing, but that is not without risk. I’m reminded of a song written by Baker Knight and recorded by American country music artist Mickey Gilley in the 1970s. You might remember the tune, but I wanted to update you on some new...

You probably wouldn’t ignore a “warning sign” on the highway, as you can easily imagine the consequences of doing so. We can face similar situations when designing trusses, and the end result is that whatever we do in the software can end up in the real world somewhere on a...

After years of development, we’re excited to introduce the newest member of the Strong-Wall® shearwall family – the Strong-Wall high-strength wood shearwall (WSWH). The Strong-Wall High-Strength Wood Shearwall Lineup The WSWH is a high-strength prefabricated shearwall...