A 10-story timber tower is planned by SHoP Architects for Manhattan's Chelsea Neighborhood. If approved, it would be the first in New York City to use cross laminated timber construction (CLT). The building was one of two winners in a USDA competition to promote high rise wood construction.

Located in Manhattan’s West Chelsea neighborhood, 475 West 18th Street is a ten-story residential condominium building designed immediately opposite the High Line. The building will contain fifteen two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments.

REPORT 42-Story Wood Skyscraper by SOM Skidmore Owings & Merrill has re-rendered an existing 42-story building using cross lamianted timber construction. The design is practical.

130-134 Holdings LLC, in partnership with Spiritos Properties, SHoP Architects, Arup, and Atelier Ten, proposed 475 West 18th Street as a model for the industry, demonstrating an innovative approach to construction by going beyond the typical, limited palette of materials and systems available for high-rise construction.

The building will be the first in New York City to use modern mass wood systems, and will be the tallest building in the city to use structural timber, pending approvals from the New York City Department of Buildings.

RIDDLE, OR – Today’s announcement by U.S. Secretary Tom Vilsack of the successful projects in the Tall Wood Building Competition was met with enthusiasm at D.R. Johnson, manufacturer of CLT panels and glu-laminated beams.

“We have tremendous respect for the team of the Oregon project that was named, the Framework, a 12-story urban + rural project in the Pearl District area of Portland,” said Valerie Johnson, President of D.R. Johnson. “We have been anticipating this announcement for several months, and are very appreciative of the USDA and the Softwood Lumber Board for this major incentive to accelerate the development of building with mass wood components “With one of the project winners right here in our own state, we look forward to learning more about their design and plans for this building.”

Announced in October 2014, the competition is a joint initiative of the USDA and the forest industry designed to support rural communities by creating a market for wood in larger and taller buildings.  “The goal of the prize competition is to link rural U.S. technical expertise and products with evolving domestic and international market opportunities…” said the USDA announcement. The USDA Tall Wood Competition’s primary purpose is to advance the development of U.S. buildings constructed with mass timber components, which includes CLT and glu-laminated beams.

D.R. Johnson announced last week that it is the first and only U.S. manufacturer to receive ANSI certification from APA-The Engineered Wood Association to produce structural grade cross-laminated timbers. CLT are engineered wood panels typically consisting of three, five, or seven layers of dimension lumber oriented at right angles to one another and glued to form structural panels with exceptional strength, dimensional stability, and rigidity.

D.R. Johnson is currently manufacturing CLT panels for the first two orders for their product, The Albina Yard project, an office building in North Portland, and the Richard Woodcock Education Center at Western Oregon University in Monmouth.

“Our company is confident that this revival of building with wood is going to grow,” said Johnson.  “It is good for beautiful buildings, great for the environment and critical for the economies of rural Oregon.  This announcement is one more confirmation that we are on the right track.”

For more information about D.R. Johnson or CLT, please visit www.oregonclt.com. For more information on the USDA Tall Wood Building Prize competition, please visit https://tallwoodbuildingcompetition.org.

NEW YORK — Winners of the U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition  will split $3 million in prize money to advance development of two real-life high rise wood project. If the projects reach groundbreak- each is required to be more than 80 feet tall by the competition rules - one will be built in Portland, Oregon, the other in New York City.

The program is supported by the government agencies in the United States and Canada, which see the adoption of cross laminated timber (CLT) contruction as a strategic opportunity to drive consumption of wood products both domestically and for export. The U.S. Department Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsak announced the winners in partnership with the Softwood Lumber Board and the Binational Softwood Lumber Council.

At a press conference was hosted in New York Sept. 17,, Secretary Vilsack congratulated the competition winners.

"The U.S. wood products industry is vitally important as it employs more than 547,000 people in manufacturing and forestry, with another 2.4 million jobs supported by U.S. private-forest owners," said Vilsack. "By embracing the benefits of wood as a sustainable building material, these demonstration projects have the ability to help change the face of our communities, mitigate climate change and support jobs in rural America. I look forward to seeing how these two buildings help lead the way in furthering the industry."

Next-generation lumber and mass timber products are becoming the latest innovation in building. Innovative new technologies and building systems have enabled longer wood spans, taller walls, and higher buildings, and continue to expand the possibilities for wood use in construction. Mass timber wood products are flexible, strong, and fire resistant, and can be used as a safe and sustainable alternative to concrete, masonry, and steel. Using wood helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by storing carbon and simultaneously offsetting emissions from conventional building materials. Wood can also help struggling rural forest communities. During the Recession, the drop in new construction and decline in home remodeling had a deep impact on wood manufacturing. However, if next-generation wood products can penetrate just five to fifteen percent of the non-residential North American market, it would mean roughly 0.8 - 2.4 billion board feet of lumber consumed annually. To put that in real-world context, roughly 35 jobs are created for each million board feet of wood processed.
The two winning proposals – Framework and 475 West 18th – were selected by a panel of distinguished jurors in the architecture and engineering fields who are familiar with innovative wood building systems. While each took a unique approach, both projects met the competition's criteria to showcase the safe application, practicality and sustainability of a minimum 80-foot structure that uses mass timber, composite wood technologies and innovative building techniques.
 

Framework, LLC and 130-134 Holdings LLC– on behalf of Framework and 475 West 18th, respectively – will each receive $1.5 million to embark on the exploratory phase of their projects, including the research and development necessary to utilize engineered wood products in high-rise construction in the U.S. As part of the Competition evaluation criteria, both of the winning teams have also obtained early support from their respective authorities having jurisdiction to proceed.

"Tall wood building systems have been embraced by developers and architects around the world for many years," said Marc Brinkmeyer, Softwood Lumber Board Chair. "Moving forward with these projects is a step in the right direction for the U.S. building industry in having the ability to take full advantage of the inherent benefits of wood from both an environmental and economic standpoint."
Additional background information on the Competition, including the Official Rules and contact details can be found on the prize competition website at: www.tallwoodbuildingcompetition.org.
WINNING PROJECT SUMMARIES
Framework: An Urban + Rural Ecology
Beneficial State Bancorp will provide site control to real estate developer project, affordable housing investor Home Forward, and LEVER Architecture, for the proposed Framework as a redevelopment of their Pearl District property in Portland, Oregon. The 12-story urban + rural ecological project is to be constructed primarily of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and will support a distinct blend of functions including street-level retail, office, workforce housing and community space. The main community space is designed to include a public Tall Wood Exhibit, featuring resources related to the realization and design of the building.
"We consider Framework to be a totally transformative, mission-driven project that will promote social justice, environmental well-being and economic opportunity at the building, regional and national levels," said Kat Taylor, President, Beneficial State Bancorp, the landowner of the project site.
"The relationship of our cities to our rural communities, what we call 'forest to frame,' is strengthened by Framework," added Tom Cody, Principal, project. "On a national scale this project will be catalytic, leading to more tall wood buildings, driving more wood products and wood product innovation, and boosting rural economic development."

130-134 Holdings LLC, in partnership with Spiritos Properties, SHoP Architects, Arup, Icor Associates, and environmental consultancy Atelier Ten, proposed 475 West 18th as a transformative and sustainable prototype for the design and construction industry, demonstrating an innovative approach to going beyond a limited palette of materials and systems for high-rise construction. Expanding the palette with wood, a locally sourced and renewable material, provides a low-carbon, more economically sound building solution.
475 West 18th's extensive use of wood structural elements and other wood products allows the team to set ambitious sustainability targets in the building's design, construction, and operation. By combining aggressive load reduction with energy efficient systems, the project team anticipates reducing overall energy consumption by at least 50 percent relative to current energy codes. It will also target LEED Platinum certification, as well as pursue higher levels of sustainability not captured in the LEED system.
"By choosing to develop a timber building, we hope to pave the way for a new method of urban construction that is ecologically conscious and supportive of rural economies," said Erica Spiritos of Spiritos Properties. "Rooted in the forests and erected in the city, this building is a celebration of habitats that are at once ancient and cutting edge, interconnected and individual, natural and technological."
"We are delighted to be developing this tall timber building in New York City, which has led the world in urban design and engineering throughout the last century," said Jonathan Ghassemi, on behalf of 130-134 Holdings LLC. "We are confident that this project will once again position New York to serve as a leader in a new generation of sustainable building methods during the 21st century and beyond."
For more information and resources on tall wood buildings, please visit www.rethinkwood.com.
For more information on the USDA or the Forest Products Laboratory:
For more information on the Softwood Lumber Board: www.softwoodlumberboard.org
For more information on the Binational Softwood Lumber Council: www.softwoodlumber.org
 

CORVALLIS, OR—  Lumber firm Sierra Pacific Industries donated $6 million to the College of Forestry at Oregon State University to support construction of an advanced wood products laboratory,  part of OSU’s Oregon Forest Science Complex that will create a new home for the college. Plum Creek donated $1 million in September to the complex.

The 85,000-square-foot Oregon Forest Science Complex will itself be made with advanced wood products, showcasing the beauty and usefulness of this building technique. In partnership with architecture firm Miller Hull, Michael Green, a leading innovator in high-rise wood construction, is designing the facility.

In the 20,000-square-foot laboratory, faculty and students will develop products like cross-laminated timber - the engineered wood panels at the center of growing global interest in substituting wood for steel and concrete in high-rise buildings.

PROJECT GALLERY Empire State Building Re-engineered in Wood Star architect Michael Green redesigned the Empire State Building in wood.

California-based Sierra Pacific Industries is a third-generation, family-owned forest products company founded by A. A. “Red” Emmerson and his father, R. H. “Curly” Emmerson. In recognition of Sierra Pacific’s investment, the advanced wood products laboratory at OSU will be named in Red Emmerson’s honor.

Red Emmerson’s sons George Emmerson – who graduated from Oregon State in 1978 – and Mark Emmerson, a graduate of the University of California/Berkeley, lead the company as president and chairman/chief financial officer, respectively. Their sister Carolyn Emmerson Dietz, a 1982 OSU alumna, is president of the Sierra Pacific Foundation.

“We are extremely pleased to be associated with OSU’s Advanced Wood Products Laboratory,” George Emmerson said. “Sierra Pacific Industries has grown dramatically in the past 25 years, and we attribute much of that growth to a belief that advanced mill technology is an essential element of maintaining a competitive edge in the wood products industry.

“Wood has become the building product of choice in a carbon-constrained world, and no other material can match it for sustainability and renewability,” he said. “Success requires constant innovation.”

The A. A. “Red” Emmerson Advanced Wood Products Laboratory will give students access to groundbreaking research opportunities in a program that is consistently ranked as one of the best forestry schools in the world, said Thomas Maness, the Cheryl Ramberg Ford and Allyn C. Ford Dean of OSU’s College of Forestry.

“We’re confident that this laboratory will enhance our students’ experience and provide innovative solutions to the forest products industry,” Maness said. “This gift will allow us to build the state-of-the-art facility we need to test new ideas, yielding sustainable and advanced wood products that can change the world we live in.”

One of the university’s goals is to use the laboratory to establish Oregon as an international leader in the way wood is used in tall commercial and residential structures. That research, said OSU president Ed Ray, could have a profound impact on the state’s economy.

“Sierra Pacific’s commitment is a tremendous investment in the region’s future,” Ray said. “By developing new technologies and products that could be manufactured in Oregon and throughout the West, this lab will have a lasting positive impact on our state and its rural communities. We are deeply grateful for the company’s partnership.”

Efforts to secure funding for the Oregon Forest Science Complex, including $29.7 million in approved state bonds, are nearing completion. The project is one of several fundraising initiatives being led by the Oregon State University Foundation to advance the university’s strategic plan – creating transformative student learning experiences and building on the institution’s areas of greatest strength and potential impact.

OSU is one of only two U.S. universities designated a land-, sea-, space- and sun-grant institution. OSU is also Oregon’s only university to hold both the Carnegie Foundation’s top designation for research institutions and its prestigious Community Engagement classification. Its more than 26,000 students come from all 50 states and more than 90 nations. OSU programs touch every county within Oregon, and its faculty teach and conduct research on issues of national and global importance.

CHICAGO - A cross-laminated timber structure has been built in Chicago, bringing that city it's first high profile application of the wood construction material being used in high rise wood building construction. The Chicago Horizon project, by Ultramoderne, a Rhode Island architectural practice, was created as part of a competition, and represents "a quest to create the largest wood roof possible," in the words of the team - architects Yasmin Vobis and Aaron Forrest and structural engineer Brett Schneider,  closely connected with the Rhode Island School of Design.

 Chicago Horizon won the BP Prize in the Chicago Lakefront Kiosk Competition for the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial, running in the city thorugh January 3. Support for both design and construction were provided by Nordic Structures, reThink Wood, and the Rhode Island School of Design.

The materials used in the pavilion are inexpensive structural grade wood and chain-link fencing. The roof is made from cross-laminated timber (CLT), a structural wood material that sequesters carbon in its fibers. "The roof alone more than offsets the emissions generated by all the other materials used in the project combined," say its designers, who describe the project here:

The design for the kiosk became a quest to create the largest wood roof possible—to demarcate a zone of the city for all to enjoy. Inspired by two Chicago prototypes—Mies van der Rohe’s experiments in flatness and the Eames’ explorations of scale in Powers of Ten—we designed a 56’ square open roof with the largest clear spans possible: a fusion of Miesian rationalism with an American improvisational jauntiness.

Design Collaborator: Brett Schneider
Project team: Will Gant, Hua Gao, Ronak Hingarh, Tida Osotsapa, Emily Yen
Material Supplier & Fabricator: Nordic Structures
Design Engineer: Brett Schneider, Guy Nordenson and Associates
Engineer of Record: Thornton Tomasetti
Architect of Record: Animate Architecture

Radical simplicity underlies a subtle and varied experience. The lateral reach of the roof recalibrates the experience of two extremes of the Chicago landscape: at ground level, the Lake Michigan horizon dominates, forming a line of symmetry between ground and canopy. From the viewing platform, the roof becomes a new artificial horizon, shutting out the foreground and emphasizing the vertical skyline above an abstract floating plane.

Two programmatic volumes—a viewing platform and a vending kiosk—hang between the roof and the ground. Enclosed in chain link fencing used in tension, the volumes provide a subtle hierarchy within the otherwise open plan. Fin columns are distributed in a finely tuned radial pattern to respond to lateral loads and uplift; their orientation creates at once an intense focus on the space and activities central to the pavilion, as well as outwards towards the horizon.

At night, the chain link enclosures double as a lighting installation, attracting visitors to their mysterious glow. Each is outfitted with a plane of programmable LED lighting and glowing with a different color temperature: one warm (moonlight), one cool (daylight). The two pulsate in dialogue with each other throughout the night, alternating between the two poles of experience that the kiosk creates: floor and ceiling; day and night.

About TEAM ULTRAMODERNE

Team Ultramoderne is a collaboration between architects Yasmin Vobis and Aaron Forrest and structural engineer Brett Schneider.  Based in Providence, RI, and closely connected with the Rhode Island School of Design, the Ultramoderne team members bring together an extensive range of experience in architecture, design, and engineering at a broad range of scales.  The team looks to develop design ideas rooted in architectural effect and the technical specificity necessary to push these effects beyond convention. Vobis and Forrest, who together lead the architecture studio Ultramoderne, have recently completed projects with the Van Alen Institute and the Boston Society of Architects, and have extensive experience working for leading architects in San Francisco, New York, and Madrid. Brett Schneider is Senior Associate at Guy Nordenson and Associates Structural Engineers in New York, where he has led projects in collaboration with SANAA, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Johnston Marklee, and other leading practices across the globe

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Property developer Lendlease says it has opened the first hotel in the country to be completely constructed using Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), the Candlewood Suites on Redstone Arsenal.

The project, a partnership between the United States Army, Lendlease and IHG Army Hotels, used the same strong timber and panels that make possible the wood skyscrapers that have captured the interest of architects and builders aroound the world.

ARTICLE Effort to legalize high-rise wood construction A federal agency has approved a grant of nearly $450,000 to Oregon State University to advance the use of new engineered wood products in high rise wood building construction.

The 62,688 square foot structure includes 92 guest rooms, and utilized 1,200 CLT wall panels and 200,000 CLT fasteners. It took the 11-man Lendlease crew 10 working weeks to erect the building, which is a 40 percent reduction in crew size and man hours, and 37 percent faster than conventional framing materials and methods.

"The use of CLT and other integrated methodologies has made it possible to 'do more with less' by constructing projects faster, with less labor and safer than conventional materials and methods," said Denis Hickey, CEO for Lendlease Americas. "Lendlease has pioneered the use of this material in Australia and the UK, and we're excited to expand our CLT portfolio into the Americas region."

Part of the Privatization of Army Lodging (PAL) Program, Lendlease is the owner, developer, design-builder and asset manager for the Candlewood Suites on Redstone Arsenal, and the exclusive developer for the Department of Defense's only lodging privatization program. IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) is the hotel operator. Lendlease has delivered 14 Holiday Inn Express and eight Candlewood Suites hotels throughout the United States, including the 310-room Candlewood Suites on Joint Base San Antonio, the largest in the world.

Vancouver-based real estate developer PortLiving and world-renowned Japanese architect Shigeru Ban have unveiled plans for an upcoming hybrid timber structure said to be the tallest in the world. If so, this would mean it will be higher than other CLT wood structures, such as the 34-story design planned for Stockholm.

The residential high-rise Terrace house, which will be located in Vancouver’s Coal Harbor neighborhood, may set a new standard for urban luxury in design, sustainability and engineering innovation. The high-rise will feature a cross-laminated timber frame supported by a concrete and steel core. Wood for the project will be locally sourced from British Columbia, minimizing its carbon footprint.

ARTICLE Cross-laminated timber construction in Seattle stirs concrete mixer concerns Build with Strength, a coalition of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA), has expressed concern with the use of CLT in construction.

Cross-laminated timber has been gaining popularity as of late, due to its lightness, sustainability, and ease of use. Planks of timber are glued and orientated at 90 degrees to each other, and are then crosslaid in layers. Those pieces are then shipped to construction sites and can be assembled by just a few workers, even for large buildings.

Its use in tall wooden buildings has also been growing. London, Stockholm, and Quebec are just a few of the cities who either already have large timber towers or have one in the works. Recent plans include a Swedish firm's 436 ft. residential wood skyscraper in Stockholm, while a 12-story mixed wood high-rise is planned for construction in Portland, Oregon. 

Building codes are being adjusted in Oregon and Washington State to permit the tall wood structures. But CLT hasn’t gone without opposition.

Build with Strength, a coalition of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, has expressed its concern over the use of CLT in construction.

The group says extreme caution should be used with timber due to its prone to fire, termites, earthquakes, and humidity.  Concrete makers, who would see their material displaced by wood, say that sufficient testing has not taken place to verify CLT’s durability and strength. 

PortLiving says it will release more details about Terrace House later this year.

COLUMBIA FALLS, Mont.  – SmartLam Technologies Group, the first manufacturer of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) products in the United States, today announced it is now certified under the American National Standards Institute approved ANSI/APA PRG 320-2012 Standard for Performance-rated Cross-Laminated Timber.
 SmartLam Cross Laminated Timber is an engineered wood building system made from several layers of solid lumber boards, stacked crosswise to each other and bonded together with a non-VOC and formaldehyde free adhesive. This provides dimensional stability, strength and rigidity, making the product a viable alternative to concrete, masonry and steel in many applications. The standard adopted by ANSI details the manufacturing and performance requirements for quality assurance.

 “The validation of this certification is a point of pride among our employees, but more importantly a verification for our customers,” said Casey Malmquist, president and general manager, SmartLam. “As CLT use continues to grow across the United States, certification underscores the viability of this material as a future mainstream construction practice.”
 First developed in Austria more than 25 years ago, CLT has a documented track record supporting its widespread use across Europe. Adoption of this construction method has grown with the green building movement. With careful, yet conventional planning and engineering considerations, the service life of a CLT building can last as long as buildings constructed from other materials like concrete or steel. Unlike concrete and steel, CLT is made entirely from wood, the only renewable building material.
 In addition to this certification standard for manufacturing and performance requirements, application standards are also being adopted: the use of CLT was incorporated into the 2015 edition of the International Building Code (IBC) as well as the 2015 edition of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 5000 Building Construction and Safety Code.
“With our wide range of products and services, we provide unmatched support to a wide variety of markets,” said Malmquist. “We continuously update and improve our processes to keep pace with developing codes and standards, today and in the future.”
 he first manufacturer of Cross Laminated Timber products in the United States, SmartLam produces more than1 million board feet of Cross Laminated Timber each month. Headquartered in Montana, the company sources wood for its manufacturing processes from regional forest vendors within 200 miles of SmartLam’s zero-waste production plant. For more information visit smartlam.com.
 

PENTICTON, B.C. - Mass timber manufacturer Structurlam says its president, Bill Downing, has been named Runner-up in the Pacific region Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year 2016 awards. He was recognized in the contruction category.

The program recognizes Pacific region entrepreneurs for financial performance, vision, leadership, personal integrity and entrepreneurial spirit.

Bill Downing has been with Structurlam since its inception in 2007. He recently led the mass timber manufacturer through a time of substantial innovation, as the company shifted towards the application of technology such as 3D modeling and robotics in the manufacturing of glue-laminated (Glulam) and cross-laminated timber (Crosslam CLT) panels in pre-fabricated mass timber packages.

The company has contributed major components to several award winning and world class projects, including UBC Brock Commons and Rocky Ridge Recreational Facility. Construction was recently completed on UBC Brock Commons, making it the world's tallest mass timber building. This impressive project will serve as a benchmark for future mass timber construction. Rocky Ridge Recreational Facility, which features the world's largest wood constructed roof in North America, covering approximately 28,000 square meters, is slated for completion in Fall 2017.

"I'm proud to be leading such an innovative company as we manufacture the highest quality, BC born and raised products, and make the world more aware of the benefits of building with mass timber," shares Mr. Downing. "It is an honour to be named Runner-up for this award, and it reflects on the collective success of everyone at Structurlam."

EY Entrepreneur of the Year is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. It celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic business, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 140 cities in 50 countries.

Structurlam is a provider of the most innovative and cost-effective structural laminated mass timber solutions and industrial matting. Structurlam's mass timber solutions cover the spectrum from simple beams and panels to the most complex and beautiful structures in the world. Their value-added production includes the best people and state-of-the art technology coming together to create glue-laminated beams and cross-laminated panels showcasing premium British Columbian fibre. Using mass timber for both its strength and beauty, Structurlam works closely with customers to create complete solutions including connection design, engineering and installation. Their world-class reputation is a result of more than 50 years of innovation and quality. For more information, please visit http://structurlam.com.

SEATTLE, Wash.— Installation began Monday for Washington’s fourth mass timber modular classroom project. The four-classroom building at Greywolf Elementary in Sequim was erected in a single day. A pilot project, funded by the state Legislature and overseen by the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services, is pioneering the use of cross-laminated timber to build 20 classrooms at five schools across Washington.
The pilot project is creating a way to improve classroom conditions for students, while also supporting one of the Pacific Northwest’s most promising new industries. Washington State’s 2016 supplemental capital budget included $5.5 million in the state building construction account for the pilot project. The use of innovative contacting methods by the Department of Enterprise Services allowed the project to go from concept to complete in less than a year.
“We are very appreciative for the opportunity to manufacture these cross-laminated timber panels (CLT) for this pilot project”, said Valerie Johnson, D.R. Johnson Wood Innovations’ president.  “Our company was the first U.S. certified manufacturer of this product so it took a bit of a leap of faith to believe the market demand would grow. The Pacific NW is the best region in the country to lead this evolution of building with mass timber construction systems.  This project will be another important catalyst for similar projects that follow.”
The pilot project provides needed classroom space for K-3 students in Washington who would otherwise be served by temporary buildings—giving the state an opportunity to test and fine-tune multiple classroom designs. Additionally, it creates gives Washington designers, contractors and suppliers a chance to advance their skillset using this new building method.
“I’m so excited to see a school project like this showing off CLT. The team should be commended for their work to stimulate the market for this innovative wood product with its opportunities for manufacturing and rural jobs – all using locally produced wood,” says Hilary S. Franz, the state’s Commissioner of Public Lands. “The fact that the Sequim school project used lumber from the Olympic Peninsula, mere miles from the school site, is testament to this industry’s incredible potential.”
The cross-laminated timber panels were manufactured by Oregon’s D.R. Johnson Wood Innovations using lumber sourced from Interfor located in nearby Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula. Each panel was designed and cut to the architect’s specifications, easing the burden on the construction contractor during assembly.
“What we’re seeing in the Pacific Northwest is the creation of a closed loop; a ‘forest to frame’ ecosystem is taking shape,” said Joe Mayo, Mahlum Architects’ project architect. “The state’s investment in this pilot project is giving the Northwest an edge by allowing firms in our region to get up-to-speed quickly on CLT and demonstrate by example that building with mass timber is not only possible, but a key step forward in sustainable design.”
Unlike most other building methods, mass timber construction uses pre-fabricated CLT panels. This requires close collaboration among the contractor, design team, fabricators, and installers. All parties are equally important and affect how successfully the CLT will be installed. The design and planning completed during pre-construction pays off with a greatly reduced construction schedule.
“The ease of installation at the Sequim school project demonstrates that building with mass timber, regardless of project complexity, is still faster than traditional framing,” said John Gilson, Walsh Construction Co. project manager. “Installation that would take 4-5 days with conventional framing (or 2-3 weeks for a larger project) is easily achieved in half the time.”
Key stats on the Greywolf Elementary School project:
•    Project team:
o    Project Manager and Contracts: Department of Enterprise Services
o    Architect: Mahlum Architects
o    General Contractor: Walsh Construction
o    Cross-laminated timber manufacturer: D.R. Johnson Wood Innovations
o    Lumber Supplier: Interfor
•    Funder:
o     The Washington State Legislature included $5.5 million in the state building construction account for the pilot project in the 2016 supplemental capital budget.  
•    Building description:
o    3,960 square feet
o    Four classrooms, two shared work rooms and two restrooms
•    Interesting design features:
o    Interior walls can be removed to promote co-teaching
o    All loadbearing walls in the buildings will be constructed from CLT and will be left exposed to view on the interior. As a result, students will be surrounded by natural wood, which provokes positive psychological responses similar to how trees elicit biophilic responses. Wood in classrooms has been shown to reduce stress and the heart rate of students, as reported by Planet Ark's 2015 study Wood - Housing, Health, Humanity.  
o    Modular design has the ability to be replicated on any site, allowing school districts to quickly respond to overcrowding and classroom demands.
About the Washington State pilot project:
The Department of Enterprise Services is overseeing a pilot project to build 20 kindergarten through third-grade classrooms using cross-laminated timber (CLT) in five school district sites in Washington.
The state's 2016 supplemental capital budget included $5.5 million in the state building construction account for the pilot project, which in addition to constructing the classrooms will measure how well using the engineered wood product creates efficiencies in the construction process, and achieves other environmental and economic benefits. Potential benefits include:
•    Reduced quantity of construction site waste due to prefabrication of panels.
•    Quicker construction time because services can be installed and finishes applied while panel installation continues.
•    Creation of local jobs, especially in rural communities.
•    Making it profitable to thin forests, thus reducing the danger of wildfires.
•    Reduced use of fossil fuels to manufacture using wood, compared to using structural concrete, masonry or steel.
Four modular classrooms are being built in each of the following school districts:
•    Western Washington
o    Seattle School District – Maple Elementary
o    Mount Vernon School District - Jefferson Elementary
o    Sequim School District Greywolf Elementary
•    Eastern Washington
o    Wapato School District – Adams Elementary
o    Toppenish School District – Valley View Elementary
For more information visit: http://des.wa.gov/about/projects-initiatives/cross-laminated-timber-pilo...
To watch a time lapse of the Mt. Vernon project: https://vimeo.com/209469432

About Mahlum Architecture
Established in 1938, Mahlum iscommitted to creating healthy and enduring communities to support the lives of future generations. The firm is focused in three primary market sectors: education, healthcare, and student housing. In 2014, Mahlum was recognized with the Firm Award by the AIA Northwest and Pacific Region. Learn more: mahlum.com Follow us on Twitter:  @MahlumArch
About Walsh Construction
Walsh is dedicated to creating innovative solutions for our clients and communities. Since 1961, the company has served building partners throughout the Pacific Northwest, with an emphasis on academic, housing, and medical/healthcare facilities. Walsh has been recognized in 2014 with Associated General Contractors’ Safety Excellence Award; and by ENR’s list of Top Green Contractors in the US. Learn more: walshconstructionco.com, or twitter.com/WalshConstCo
D.R. Johnson Wood Innovations began manufacturing wood products in Riddle, Oregon in 1951. Its Cross-Laminated Timber  manufacturing business, D.R. Johnson Wood Innovations, is the first company in the U.S. to receive APA/ANSI certification to manufacture structural CLT panels.  It has several projects under development, making it the only certified U.S. manufacturer of CLT panels currently serving the domestic market.  For more information, please visit http://www.oregonclt.com.
 

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. - Construction is underway at StructureCraft for the building of North America's first dowel laminated timber plant. The 50,000-square-foot facility in Abbotsford, British Columbia, is expected to be completed in August.

Dowel laminated timber (DLT) can be used for floor, wall, and roof structures. Unlike other structural timber products, such as CLT (cross laminated timber), LVL (laminated veneer lumber), GLT (glue laminated timber) and NLT (nail laminated timber), DLT does not use glue, nails or other metal fasteners, the company says. Instead, the wood panels use hardwood dowels to friction fit pre-milled boards together on edge.

A variety of profiles can be integrated into the bottom surface of the DLT panel, StructureCraft Builders noted. The company said it plans to use a variety of species, including SPF wood (spruce-pine-fir), Douglas fir, hemlock, Sitka spruce, and western red or yellow cedar, to manufacture the timber product.

Photo: StructureCraft

The Delta, B.C.-based StructureCraft said the new plant will be designed and built with a variety of mass timber and engineered wood products, including DLT, NLT, LSL (laminated strand lumber) and Glulam. The shop has been designed as a demountable structure, with modular wall and roof panels to allow for future expansion, the company added.

Plant rendering. Photo: StructureCraft

StructureCraft manufactures and sources mass timber products including DLT, CLT, NLT, and Glulam as well as steel components such as connections, cables, and castings.

Also known under the name dübelholz, DLT has been manufactured commercially in Europe for a number of years.

SAN DIEGO - A two-story cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure was subjected to seismic forces produced by a 1994 6.7 Northridge earthquake. The engineered simulation is expected to reveal ways in which tall wood buildings could survive damaging earthquakes.

Workers constructed a 22-foot tall wood test structure on UC San Diego's shake table, a device for shaking structural models or building components with a wide range of simulated ground motions, like earthquakes.

SLIDESHOW Katerra CLT panels tested for earthquake resistance A manufacturer of cross laminated timber panel recorded seismic testing of its material in a two-story building placed on a giant shake table.

Led by the Colorado School of Mines (CSM), the new test will examine the viability of constructing quake-resistant CLT buildings that could be as tall as 20 stories high.

“We are working to minimize the amount of time buildings are out of service after large earthquakes," CSM engineer Shiling Pei said in a statement. "We are also focused on cutting the costs required to repair them.”

COLUMBIA FALLS, Mont. -- SmartLam, the first commercial CLT manufacturer in the U.S., hosted a conference in their home state to raise awareness for Montana's successes and potential when it comes to the North American mass timber industry.

The Montana Mass Timber Rising conference attracted more than 100 people and took place in Columbia Falls. It offered panel discussions from industry leaders and experts in Montana and Oregon, as well as a tour of SmartLam's manufacturing location.

The Montana and Oregon panels generated insightful discussions and together provided a great dialogue about mass timber in the U.S. Montana attendees found the Oregon panel’s presentations to be informative and motivational while the Montana panel impressed the crowd with upcoming projects and future plans for mass timber within the state and beyond.

SmartLam currently manufactures more than 800,000 board feet per month and ships products across North America. As the demand and market for mass timber rapidly grows, SmartLam aims to expand and build multiple manufacturing plants in U.S. in the next 18 to 24 months.

The Montana Mass Timber Rising conference coincided with the Western Governors’ Association’s annual meeting in Whitefish, where SmartLam supplied a human-scale CLT foosball field for attendees to enjoy during a networking event.

Montana Mass Timber Rising Speakers for the Oregon Panel were: Christine Lundberg, mayor, Springfield, Oregon; Timm Locke, director of forest products, Oregon Forest Resource Institute; Iain MacDonald, OSU, associate director, Tallwood Design Institute; and Bill Parsons, VP of operations, WoodWorks.

The lunch speaker was Patrick Holmes, natural resources policy advisor to Governor Steve Bullock.

The Montana Panel comprised Casey Malmquist, president, SmartLam; Tom DeLuca, dean, W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation; Brian Caldwell, principal, Thinktank Design Group; and Gordy Sanders, resource manager, Pyramid Mountain Lumber.

Montana Mass Timber Rising sponsors were Forest Business Network, SmartLam, WoodWorks, Montana DNRC, Forestry Division, F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co., Montana West Economic Development, Henkel, Costa Sanders; and University of Montana, W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation.