Page 17 - InnoRenew CoE International Conference 2023
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oss-Laminated Timber furniture as Earthquake Shelter: updates
on the Lifeshell concept
M. Fellin ¹*, W. Gao², F. Lam ²
1 CNR - IBE, via F. Biasi 75, marco.fellin@cnr.it
2 UBC - Department of Wood Science, Forest Sciences Centre 4026, 2424 Main Mall Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada,
frank.lam@ubc.ca , gao13@student.ubc.ca
* Corresponding author
Lifeshell is a wooden furniture acting as safe shelter during earthquakes, thereby saving lives. The concept
presented at IRIC2020 (Fellin et al., 2020) has been further developed into a 2.0 version. To improve this design,
it is essential to understand the forces, actions, and direction of a building collapse during an earthquake. Reports
on building typologies and vulnerability indicate that rubble stone, adobe, unreinforced brick or masonry,
reinforced concrete frames with inadequate earthquake-resistance buildings, and poorly constructed timber
structures are most prone to collapse. Earthquake image databases were also used to approximate the typical
dimensions of collapse, and 14 case studies of seismic countries were analyzed in detail.
For each scenario, the mass ranges of floor and wall collapse over a desk were estimated, with vertical loads
ranging from 300 to 2100 kg and lateral loads ranging from 75 to 3600 kg. These data were used to simulate
a collapse over a desk, testing several software for both finite element analysis and static/dynamic simulation.
Results show most of the software have significant challenges in defining wood as an orthotropic material and
defining cross-laminated timber panels as a sum of multi-layered glued boards: nevertheless, one of the finite
element-based software was successful.
Preliminary models of the Lifeshell desk indicated no further strengthening of the structure is needed. In fact,
a lightened structure can safely carry the applied load resulting in more efficient and cost-effective solutions.
Further validation of the design is planned using both finite element analysis and real-life tests to assess each
desk variation's suitability for different building typologies and risk of collapse.
The Lifeshell 2.0 is a non-structural revision of the original design for aspects such as aesthetics, geometries,
wheels, handles, safety, millings, and accessories. The Lifeshell 2.0 design is freely available under the Creative
Commons 4.0 license.
Keywords: anti-seismic, furniture, cross-laminated timber, shelter, creative commons
Acknowledgment: The authors gratefully acknowledge receiving funding from CNR, Short Term Mobility
program, and the UBC for welcoming the scientific mission.
REFERENCES
Fellin, M., Polidori, M., Ceccotti A., 2022. Application of Cross-Laminated Timber furniture as Earthquake
Shelter: A public domain release of the Lifeshell concept. Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Built Environment.
2(2022) doi: 10.37947/ipbe.2022.vol2.2
13–14 SEPTEMBER 2023 I IZOLA, SLOVENIA 17
on the Lifeshell concept
M. Fellin ¹*, W. Gao², F. Lam ²
1 CNR - IBE, via F. Biasi 75, marco.fellin@cnr.it
2 UBC - Department of Wood Science, Forest Sciences Centre 4026, 2424 Main Mall Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada,
frank.lam@ubc.ca , gao13@student.ubc.ca
* Corresponding author
Lifeshell is a wooden furniture acting as safe shelter during earthquakes, thereby saving lives. The concept
presented at IRIC2020 (Fellin et al., 2020) has been further developed into a 2.0 version. To improve this design,
it is essential to understand the forces, actions, and direction of a building collapse during an earthquake. Reports
on building typologies and vulnerability indicate that rubble stone, adobe, unreinforced brick or masonry,
reinforced concrete frames with inadequate earthquake-resistance buildings, and poorly constructed timber
structures are most prone to collapse. Earthquake image databases were also used to approximate the typical
dimensions of collapse, and 14 case studies of seismic countries were analyzed in detail.
For each scenario, the mass ranges of floor and wall collapse over a desk were estimated, with vertical loads
ranging from 300 to 2100 kg and lateral loads ranging from 75 to 3600 kg. These data were used to simulate
a collapse over a desk, testing several software for both finite element analysis and static/dynamic simulation.
Results show most of the software have significant challenges in defining wood as an orthotropic material and
defining cross-laminated timber panels as a sum of multi-layered glued boards: nevertheless, one of the finite
element-based software was successful.
Preliminary models of the Lifeshell desk indicated no further strengthening of the structure is needed. In fact,
a lightened structure can safely carry the applied load resulting in more efficient and cost-effective solutions.
Further validation of the design is planned using both finite element analysis and real-life tests to assess each
desk variation's suitability for different building typologies and risk of collapse.
The Lifeshell 2.0 is a non-structural revision of the original design for aspects such as aesthetics, geometries,
wheels, handles, safety, millings, and accessories. The Lifeshell 2.0 design is freely available under the Creative
Commons 4.0 license.
Keywords: anti-seismic, furniture, cross-laminated timber, shelter, creative commons
Acknowledgment: The authors gratefully acknowledge receiving funding from CNR, Short Term Mobility
program, and the UBC for welcoming the scientific mission.
REFERENCES
Fellin, M., Polidori, M., Ceccotti A., 2022. Application of Cross-Laminated Timber furniture as Earthquake
Shelter: A public domain release of the Lifeshell concept. Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Built Environment.
2(2022) doi: 10.37947/ipbe.2022.vol2.2
13–14 SEPTEMBER 2023 I IZOLA, SLOVENIA 17
