Forest Journalism for a Sustainable Future
Into most every conversation, Jonathan Kusel works in a pitch for his three-legged stool of forest restoration – the “triple bottom line.”
“The longstanding conversation has centered around environment and jobs – and whether you could have both,” said Kusel, executive director of the Sierra Institute for Community and Environment. “But that’s an incredibly narrow framing of the conversation.” [Read more…]
The industry group reThink Wood has created an online research library (at http://research.rethinkwood.com/resource) to provide professionals and the public with information on tall wood buildings and the latest information on the advantages of using wood in the built environment.
In its launch announcement, reThink Wood said it wants to help educate architects, engineers, students, developers, industry professionals and other interested parties about the increasing interest in mass timber construction around the world.
The research library, unveiled at the March 27-30 Mass Timber Conference in Portland, Oregon, is one way to demonstrate the strength, stability and design flexibility of next-generation lumber technologies, the group believes.
The online site will be frequently updated with new research on wood building products and systems worldwide, but will also point out where research is lacking.
“The future of mass timber in the U.S. is really starting to heat up,” said Lucas Epp, head of engineering at StructureCraft. “In the next few years, there will be considerably more mass timber buildings built than we have today. The industry is starting to see that this type of construction is fast, cost effective and sustainable.”
According to reThink Wood: “Tall wood buildings are capturing the imagination of architects, engineers and developers, who see them as a way to lessen the carbon footprint of the built environment while demonstrating ingenuity and meeting the same standards for safety and performance as any building type.
“Heightened awareness of the environmental benefits of wood combined with advances in wood technology and manufacturing have aligned to make tall wood buildings not only possible but safe and cost effective.”
Every year, more mid-rise and tall wood structures are built using mass timber technologies, including cross-laminated timber (CLT), nail laminated timber (NLT) and glued laminated timber (glulam).
In announcing the new research library, reThink said wood buildings are durable and can be designed to last a lifetime.
As documented in the reThink Wood Research Library, “a growing body of research, real-life events and building code development continue to prove that mass timber structures can meet or exceed the most demanding design requirements.”
Nearly 800 professionals attended the 2017 Mass Timber Conference in Portland. reThink Wood and other industry professionals were there to discuss the latest mass timber technologies and how to increase the use of wood in mid-rise and tall buildings.
reThink Wood’s mission is “to provide information and educational resources on designing with wood in a variety of applications for building professionals.”
In addition to the research library, reThink Wood offers a continuing education course, Mass Timber in North America, with AIA and GBCI credits.
This new library is accessible to the public.
In addition, reThink Wood released three new videos during the Portland conference, with industry experts discussing how mass timber compares with other building materials in terms of seismic resilience, fire resistance and durability.
reThink Wood represents the North American softwood lumber industry in working to educate the public about the advantages of using wood in the built environment.
Learn more at reThinkWood.com.
This time lapse video of Brock Commons at the University of British Columbia demonstrates one of the most powerful economic advantages of mass timber construction: speed! This 18-story (17 stories of wood, plus one of concrete) building went up in less than 10 weeks. A traditional steel or concrete building typically takes 50 to 70 weeks. [Read more…]
Oregon is setting the pace for the nation in mass timber manufacturing, design and construction.
A new report by the Oregon Forest Resources Institute offers insights from the architecture, engineering and construction communities on this burgeoning trend. [Read more…]
The Waste to Wisdom project is researching how to convert forest residues to bioenergy and bio-based products.
Like this? Learn more at Waste to Wisdom.
Trees absorb carbon dioxide, provide oxygen, create habitat for wildlife, and … fuel jet engines?
A recent Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Washington, D.C. was powered by a blend of biofuel and traditional jet fuel. The biofuel made up one fifth of the mixture. It was created from the limbs and branches left-over after a forest was logged.
Michael Wolcott is the co-project director of the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance, the group that made the biofuel blend. [Read more…]
Big timber is sprouting up in cities in North America and abroad. After years of feasibility studies and design proposals, buildings six stories or taller constructed primarily from pre-engineered wood products are being considered in cities around the world.
In London, one proposal, called the Splinter, would rise to 100 stories. In Chicago, Perkins+Will (in collaboration with Thornton Tomasetti and the University of Cambridge) has designed an 80-story high-rise with 300 duplex apartments. If built, River Beech—a key component of P+W’s master plan for the Riverline development—would be made almost entirely from mass timber. [Read more…]
Click here to read a case study from Franklin Elementary School in Franklin, West Virginia
See the attached pdf for the Murray Grove case study for a nine-wood story wood building.
In the midst of our hectic daily routines, a picture story can sometimes provide the most efficient path to the essence of an idea or issue. These photographs are a visual depiction of the issues and concerns that residents across the West wrestle with as they consider the quality and quantity of their water.