Softwood Lumber Board

Wood is taking center stage in sustainable architecture! 🌲 In the 2024 COTE Top Ten for Students Competition, nine out of ten winners incorporated wood into their designs. A standout project, WAVE: Widely Accessible Vocational Education Center from the University of Oregon, utilizes sustainable mass timber for a collaborative learning space on a high school campus in Portland. This achievement highlights the SLB's impact in architectural education, with 80 faculty members from 60 programs participating in workshops this year. Six of the nine winning projects came from schools we've partnered with, lending to the impact of SLB Education’s initiatives focused on shaping the future of wood in construction. Learn more about the 2024 COTE winners: https://hubs.ly/Q02WsVCS0

ADUs are booming, with 100,000 new units added yearly in the US! Our latest feature spotlights three wood-based ADUs that showcase innovation in small spaces. From a zero-energy certified cottage to a three-story granny flat, see how wood construction is transforming compact living. Wittman Estes Webster Wilson Bunch Design https://hubs.la/Q02ZnT4n0

A recent Think Wood webinar, Mass Timber 2030: Preparing Your Practice, brought a unique perspective to the topic of mass timber design by uniting three different stages of the project pipeline in a discussion group moderated by Think Wood’s Director Katie Gerfen. Created for architects wanting to specify mass timber, it prepared them for how to deal with questions from other AEC professionals that might derail that specification. Topics covered included the impact of mass timber on a project’s value and ROI, how architecture firms can expand their mass timber expertise, and how designers can overcome hesitation within their firm or from clients about the swiftly evolving nature of connections, acoustics, fire protection, and other design principles. After hosting the webinar for a live audience of architects, it is now available on-demand. Watch it here: https://hubs.ly/Q02WsX3q0

The SLB’s November newsletter features SLB-funded events at NYC Climate Week highlighting wood’s sustainability, as well as a new Mass Timber Competition, a traveling exhibit for students and faculty, and more. Read the full newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/gScYzPVg 

Standards are the principal building blocks of the American Wood Council's work in the building code development process. Teams designing and building a wood structure in the U.S. must use the AWC’s design standards. The AWC’s 2024 edition of the National Design Specification® (NDS) for Wood Construction with the 2024 NDS Commentary is one such standard that was recently made available for purchase and download on the AWC’s website. It includes key updates for the design of shear in bending members and the design of connections with four or more members, as well as changes to Chapter 16, which align with the 2024 Fire Design Specification (FDS). The new NDS Commentary offers added guidance to help professionals and officials understand these provisions. View it for free or purchase on the AWC’s website: https://hubs.ly/Q02Wsxpm0

Architecture students often graduate with limited experience using wood as a structural material, leading to hesitation or improper application in their designs. To bridge this gap, the SLB sponsored Build Fest at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, where students gained hands-on experience working with wood. This year, 150 students from top architecture schools built interactive outdoor art installations using softwood lumber. The installations were designed and constructed by teams from well-regarded architecture programs, including: 🪵 Princeton University 🪵 Auburn University 🪵 Syracuse University 🪵 Cornell University 🪵 Rochester Institute of Technology 🪵 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 🪵 Kean University By offering students hands-on experience with wood, Build Fest fosters a deeper appreciation for its unique properties and benefits. See the seven pavilions here: https://hubs.ly/Q02Xp5cs0

The Mass Timber Insurance Playbook, U.S. Edition: A Guide to Insuring Mass Timber Buildings Developers, design/construction professionals, and insurers now have a comprehensive framework for working together to resolve challenges that impact the insurability of mass timber buildings—making it easier for teams to bring more of these projects to fruition. 📘 Download your copy: https://lnkd.in/ez_BVJJ6 The U.S. Edition is adapted from the original Mass Timber Insurance Playbook developed by insurance and building resilience specialists in the United Kingdom in partnership with the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP). Co-authored by Philip Callow and Jim Glockling, adapted for the United States by Michael Hastings in collaboration with WoodWorks. Thank you to the many companies who participated in developing this resource: Alliance for Sustainable Building Products Built by Nature Glockling Consulting Marsh Neutral Rosetta Risk Management Zurich Commercial Insurance Learn more about The Mass Timber Insurance Playbook, U.S. Edition: https://lnkd.in/ez_BVJJ6

Rising demand for educational facilities presents a significant opportunity for the lumber industry. K-12 projects, in particular, are expected to rise, making them the largest sub-category by area. Since 2015, WoodWorks has supported 169 school projects, with light-frame remaining a strong viable option and mass timber gaining momentum in select regions. 2024 is off to a strong start with 14 schools reported in the first half of this year. Despite challenges like budget constraints, the push for sustainability and biophilic design continues to drive wood adoption. This promising market-expanding trend is demonstrated by the 2022 Mass Timber Competition-winning project Evergreen Charter School, an 85,000-square-foot, five-story hybrid CLT education facility with biophilic design elements. View the project here: https://hubs.ly/Q02WsRj30

How to Successfully Cost Manage a Mass Timber Project: https://lnkd.in/d967urNJ A determining factor in the success of a mass timber project—and whether it goes forward at all—is the general contractor’s ability to provide informed cost estimates from the earliest stage of design. However, unlike other materials, there isn’t a hundred years of tradition and shared experience to guide budgeting, cost management, and competitive procurement, or readily available cost benchmarking. This paper is intended to bridge that gap with guidance for minimizing whole project costs and maximizing the value of mass timber projects. It has been written with an emphasis on cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glue-laminated timber (glulam), but applies generally to all mass timber materials. Topics are covered within a framework of key steps that can help you more confidently cost-plan your next wood building. Get your copy at woodworks.org: https://lnkd.in/d967urNJ Pictured: Apex Plaza / William McDonough + Partners / Hourigan / photo Prakash Patel

The 2025 Mass Timber Competition: Building Sustainable Schools will provide $1.8M in total funds to support projects that demonstrate mass timber’s application in schools, their biophilic benefits, and their ability to quickly reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment. For those who are considering a submission or need guidance on their entry, the competition funders will hold a Q&A webinar on November 20 from 2:00 to 3:00 PM EST. Register for the webinar today! https://hubs.ly/Q02XplkD0