Category Archives: Wood, Paper & Green Building

←
→

Wood, Paper & Green Building

The AWC Announces Expanded Biannual Environmental, Energy, and Safety Data Survey Program

The Softwood Lumber Board
October 28, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, United States

The American Wood Council (AWC), in cooperation with the Softwood Lumber Board, has initiated an expanded biannual environmental, energy, and safety (EE&S) data survey program to improve the data the industry is being evaluated on. As the public demand for lower embodied-carbon building materials continues to grow, it is important that the lumber industry remain top-of-mind to capture this expansive market opportunity while providing valuable data used for the environmental, energy, and safety reviews of policy makers, regulators, and the media. …This data survey program comes at the heels of the AWC’s recently updated North American Softwood Lumber Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) available here.

Read More

The exciting future of paper: Bread, butter, burgers, and bundle overwraps!

FPInnovations Blog
October 20, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

…production of paper in its traditional sense is decreasing, and producers of printing and writing grades now feel the need to diversify their products. After all, paper is more than just books and newspapers. Paper can also mean online retailer packaging, burger wraps, and bread bags. FPInnovations is working to help newsprint operations diversify their products and to create new markets for cellulose-based products in order to minimize the use of plastics in packaging. The increase in regulations and bans around plastic is leading to a growing demand for brown paper bags and non-plastic alternatives. As the need to produce paper in its traditional sense are simultaneously decreasing, new doors are opening for the new market of sustainable paper packaging. …The future of flexible paper packaging looks bright. And the current health crisis will certainly open new opportunities for paper in the world of single-use items.

Read More

Join us for the Virtual Wood Solutions Conference

The Canadian Wood Council
October 20, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada
The annual Wood Solutions Conference is dedicated to showcasing innovative advancements and applications for wood products and building systems in design and construction. Leading-edge speakers will inform and inspire you at the 2020 Virtual Wood Solutions Conference. Don’t miss this exceptional week of learning to advance your knowledge and ingenuity with wood! Learn about the latest in wood innovations from distinguished presenters and two renowned keynote speakers, Micheal Green and Leon Rost; Interact with wood product experts at the virtual exhibit hall and find the resources you need to achieve your vision in wood design and building; Participate in seminars with wood design leaders and project teams from across Canada; and Earn up to 14 continuing education credits.

Read More

Design firm Dialog shows prototype of 105-storey hybrid wood tower

On-Site Magazine
October 16, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

As the Canadian building industry and industry regulators gain experience with mass timber construction, designers in the fast-growing space are looking higher. Architects and engineers at design firm Dialog released a prototype this summer of a “supertall” hybrid wood tower that would rise 105 storeys while achieving net zero carbon over its life-cycle. The Canadian-headquartered firm, worked with contractor EllisDon to map out what construction and costing would look like on the mass timber tower, as well as with consulting engineer Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin on the aerodynamics. Combining mass timber with concrete and steel, Dialog said the design would reduce embodied carbon in the building by 46 per cent. …While it may be some time before Canada sees a 105-storey hybrid tower, the new prototype is part of the growing momentum for both hybrid and wholly mass timber towers.

Read More

Canada Investing in the Use of Wood Products for Automotive Applications

Press Release by Natural Resources Canada
Cision
October 15, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

The Government of Canada is building a clean energy future and supporting the natural resource sectors. … The [government] announced $1.2 million to GreenNano Technologies Inc. … to scale up production of a new lightweight wood-fibre–based composite material to create automotive parts using an innovative process. The project will combine wood pulp with polymers to create a special strong and lightweight thermoplastic. … The new product, if successfully applied in the automotive sector, could have a number of consumer and commercial applications, including aerospace parts, pharmaceuticals, solar panels and cosmetics. GreenNano is also collaborating with Ford Canada… to test the new material in the production of lightweight car parts. Funding for this project is provided through the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation program, which encourages the Canadian forest sector to adopt and implement unique technologies and processes to diversify into new product streams and into emerging markets. 

Read More

Concern for rising costs at new RCMP build

Alaska Highway News
October 26, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Fort St. John’s budget architect told city council Monday that he’s concerned with the number of change notices and rising costs to build the new RCMP detachment. There have been $1.88 million worth of change notices issued so far, the majority due to the mass timber being used for construction… Council has approved a $51.4 million budget for the project. However, the design for the building “wasn’t completed when we went out to tender,” Joy said. “As they progressed with the design, especially with the mass timber, there was an increase in floor loading requirements that wasn’t in the original scope, and other engineering changes to the drawings, which required mass timber to increase their bid,” Joy said. The rising cost of mass timber has also proved to be a problem for North Cowichan [who] abandoned the mass timber in favour of structural steel, a decision estimated to save them $1.8 million.

Read More

Ecowaste’s investment in wood processing line creates market for construction and demolition materials

By Haley Rischar
Construction & Demolition Recycling
October 22, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

For nearly 50 years, Canada-based Ecowaste Industries has been servicing its community by providing diversion and recycling solutions for construction and demolition waste. In an effort to more closely align the company’s services with its mission to recycle, repurpose and sustain the products it manages, Ecowaste invested in a multi-million-dollar wood processing system in 2019 to better recycle waste wood streams into a high-quality biomass product that can be used for alternative fuels. … At the end of 2018, Ecowaste acquired the operating assets and facilities of Urban Wood Recycling and Smithers Enterprises, both based in Vancouver. Since the start of 2019, Ecowaste has been accepting former Urban and Smithers customers at its Ecowaste Landfill in Richmond, British Columbia… Using a highly automated system, the wood processing line is capable of processing roughly 100,000 tons of material per year.

Read More

New RCMP building should be done in mass timber

Neil Dirom, retired manager of Youbou sawmill
Lake Cow
October 20, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Neil Dirom

Once again the RCMP detachment building has hit the news unfavourably. This time the building is to be constructed in structural steel instead of mass timber — Cowichan Citizen Oct. 15, 2020. The mass timber construction design concept was not communicated by the North Cowichan council or the media until now. The mass timber construction concept is a growing trend that has favourable advantages over steel and concrete design — short term it could be more expensive because of COVID-19.  The forestry industry pioneers, like Mayo, Stone, Sutton, Cameron, MacMillian, Bloedel and Wellburn to mention a few, helped build the economy we enjoy today. …The industry in the Cowichan Valley has the fiber availability and the processing capacity — sawing, drying and dressing the structural material required for the mass timber design concept — it would be a major show piece — rather than imported steel. The Kinsol Timber Systems Ltd. at Bamberton is in the fabrication business.

Read More

BC Institute of Technology mass timber housing project to pay homage to Indigenous culture

By Grant Cameron
Journal of Commerce
October 16, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

A new mass timber student housing project that is set to rise at the Burnaby campus of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) will be specially designed to reflect Indigenous culture in the region. The 12-storey structure… will have 464 dorms and when completed will more than double BCIT’s student housing capacity. The school is embracing mass timber for the build because B.C. is a leader in its use and it’s an innovative way to reduce the carbon footprint, explains BCIT spokesperson Amy Chen. “Compared to more typical steel and concrete structural designs, mass timber is the most sustainable structural design solution as the wood structure captures embedded carbon,” says Chen. …“Based on the pre-design consultation with BCIT Indigenous Services, a collaborative design approach will be undertaken to incorporate culturally appropriate architectural colour selections, wood materials, art imagery…” says Chen.

Read More

A Global Buyers Mission Like No Other!

BC Wood Specialties Group
October 19, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Our new online format offers unique capabilities. Highlights include interactive booth with space for product videos, brochures, information, product displays and a link to your website, as well as “Live zoom meetings” direct from your booth space during show hours (these can also be pre-scheduled with an interpreter). The new format allows increased attendance of pre-qualified international buyers and decision makers as there are no visa issues or travel costs. We will also facilitate buyer/specifier access to the tradeshow floor and company content two weeks prior to the live launch plus two months post-live event, with anytime messaging feature. Engage with peers and customers via Live Socials/Networking with up to 12 tables/topics to jump in and out of.  The popular WoodTALKS Industry Seminar Series will be prerecorded and available to exhibitors. Plus, the new online event will create analytics on who visited, for how long and what they viewed. 

 

Read More

New Cowichan RCMP detachment to be constructed in structural steel instead of mass timber

By Robert Barron
BC Local News
October 14, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

The construction of the new $48-million RCMP detachment in North Cowichan will be done in structural steel, instead of mass timber as originally planned, as a cost-saving measure. The decision was made after staff at the Municipality of North Cowichan reported that the costs of mass timber … have increased approximately 150 per cent since the municipality garnered enough support from the electorate to borrow the money for the facility in an Alternative Approval Process in July. There is also a shortage in the supply of mass timber due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. …“The challenges and escalating costs Fort St. John has faced using mass timber demonstrated a need for our staff to work with the construction manager to determine if this was the best material to use in the construction of our facility,” a report from North Cowichan stated… “…the building will still have a ‘West Coast look’ with the use of wood trim,” the report said.

Read More

Toronto’s newest student building might be its most beautiful yet

By Becky Robertson
blogTO
October 28, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

Some brand new renderings of a new addition coming to the waterfront campus of Toronto’s George Brown College have just been released, and the forthcoming structure may just end up being the city’s most gorgeous student building. Aptly dubbed “The Arbour,” the $130 million educational hub will be constructed from all-Canadian mass-timber, and will hopefully have net-zero carbon emissions thanks to features like solar chimney systems, natural ventilation, and ground source geothermal energy-based heating and cooling. It is set to be the first sustainable, low-carbon timber institutional building of its kind, and will serve as a community space not just for students, but for the surrounding area. It also, quite fittingly, will house the school’s Tall Wood Research Institute. The 10-storey, 16,250 square-metre facility comes from Vancouver’s Acton Ostry Architects and Moriyama & Teshima Architects, another Canadian firm with offices in Toronto and Ottawa.

Read More

Natural Resources Canada invests $4 million toward the Chalk River Laboratories

Canadian Architect
October 26, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

Natural Resources Canada is investing nearly $4 million to the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories toward the construction of a series of mass timber buildings at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited’s Chalk River Laboratories. In 2017, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories engaged HDR to develop a master plan to help revitalize the Chalk River Laboratories site, which is approximately 3,700 hectares in size and consists of more than 300 existing buildings. …The project will showcase the use of wood for low-rise, non-residential construction while helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the Chalk River campus and contribute to Canada’s growing bioeconomy. Funding is provided through Natural Resources Canada’s Green Construction through Wood program. According to Natural Resources Canada, projects like this will help Canada achieve its 2030 climate change goals by finding effective ways of building sustainably with Canadian wood products while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Read More

What’s Special About Quebec’s Mass Timber?

By Quebec Wood Export Bureau
Arch Daily
October 18, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

For the past several years, there’s been increasing talk of a renaissance in timber construction and engineered wood. Quebec has risen to the occasion by specializing in the manufacturing of glulambeams and CLT. Wood structures as a whole have come a long way in the eyes of architects and engineers, according to the US Representative for Wood Construction at QWEB, Eli Gould. …Two Quebec companies stand out in the design of residential and commercial buildings in mass timber and exporting their know-how to the United States: Nordic Structures and Art Massif. The architectural technology developed by these Quebec companies has attracted the attention of several large-scale projects, specifically with organizations working in the field of education.

Read More

Proposed plastics ban a boon for forest products sector, researcher says

CBC News
October 11, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

In light of the federal government’s plans to ban some single use plastics, a forest industry expert says that could mean more jobs in the industry in northern Ontario.  Doug Singbeil of FP Innovations, a non-profit research group designed to help the forest sector, says the north has a vibrant forestry sector and can make many of the items that have been banned, like straws and packaging trays for takeout food.  “These are all things that can be made from forest-base resources,” he said.   Singbeil says the transition to wood based products should be fairly easy as most of these products are already available.  “We’ve got the right kind of companies and the right kind of people developing these products and it’s only a matter of time before they become part of our everyday life.”

Read More

Climate Change Hits Rock and Roll as Prized Guitar Wood Shortage Looms

By Priyanka Runwal
Scientific American
October 28, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

Every winter and spring, rains across the central U.S. combine with snowmelt along the northern reaches of the Mississippi River to inundate the hardwood-dominated bottomlands of the lower Mississippi… trees that include green ash. Being partly submerged for months encourages these trees to produce thin-walled cells with large gaps between them, creating a low-density wood prized by musical instrument makers. Since the 1950s, American guitar giant Fender Musical Instruments has used this kind of ash to create its iconic electric guitars. …Once cheap and readily available… an acute shortage forced Fender to announce it would move away from using swamp ash in its famous line of Stratocasters and Telecasters—reserving the wood for vintage models only. Fender blamed the dwindling supply on longer periods of climate-fueled flooding along the lower Mississippi… as well as the looming threat of an invasive tree-boring beetle.

Read More

The Softwood Lumber Board Seeks Grant Proposals in Conjunction with Wood Innovation Grants

The Softwood Lumber Board
October 21, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

West Linn, Oregon – The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) seeks grant proposals in support of the USDA Forest Service 2021 Wood Innovations Grant Program Request for Proposals. The SLB and USDA have successfully partnered in the past to support the U.S. Tall Wood Building Competition, the Timber City Exhibit at the National Building Museum, the Think Wood Mobile Tour, and the co-funded WoodWorks – Wood Products Council. The Softwood Lumber Board supports public/private partnerships to promote softwood lumber. …This work has also helped strengthen softwood lumber’s position in the marketplace, maintain and expand markets for softwood lumber, and develop new uses for softwood lumber. …The SLB’s funded programs all started as ideas from people who know and understand the industry and how it is changing. With support from the SLB, those ideas were transformed into impactful projects and programs that have benefited the entire industry. 

Read More

Nation’s Construction Projects Deserve a Level playing Field for Material Selection

By the Building Materials Safety Coalition
GlobeNewswire
October 21, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

While the Washington State Legislature has been moving aggressively to subsidize and mandate mass timber and engineered wood products like Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), recent studies are casting serious doubt about the safety, resiliency, sustainability, and efficiency of such products… lawmakers should take pause before sanctioning mass timber products as the preferred building material in the state of Washington. Preliminary results from a state-funded pilot project raised grave concerns about CLT’s performance. The study showed that the CLT materials substantially increased construction costs, were difficult to source locally, were less energy efficient than claimed, and raised critical safety concerns. High safety standards are of utmost importance [for] schools and community facilities. It is essential to conduct a complete review of the state-funded school pilot projects … Impulsive mandates and subsidies for CLT will almost certainly increase project costs, pose safety risks, and unfairly alter design, engineering, and construction material selection.

Read More

Forest Service now accepting applications for $10 million in grants

By Robert Dalheim
woodworkingnetwork.com
October 21, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

The USDA Forest Service announced it is now accepting applications for approximately $10 million in funding through the 2021 Wood Innovations Grant and the 2021 Community Wood Energy and Wood Innovation Grant. These grants seek to support local economies through wood products and wood energy innovations while reducing hazardous fuels and improving forest health. “Healthy and productive markets for wood products and wood energy are integral to supporting sustainable management and improving conditions of our nation’s forested lands,” said Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen. “We can enhance the health and resilience of public and private forests while fostering innovation and strengthening economic opportunities around wood products.” The Wood Innovations Grant program seeks to strengthen emerging markets for innovative wood products such as mass timber and cross-laminated timber. Eligible projects would increase wood products manufacturing capacity, strengthen markets that support forest ecosystem restoration and develop commercial facilities for wood biomass and wood products, among others. 

Read More

Wood-Look Building Materials to Gain Popularity in Exterior Applications

By Vincent Salandro
ProSales Magazine
October 19, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

Two popular “wood-look” building materials, wood-plastic composite (WPC) and plastic lumber, are projected to gain market share on competitive materials, such as natural wood, according to The Freedonia Group. Demand for WPC and plastic lumber in the United States is forecast to rise 3.7% annually to $4.9 billion in 2024, according to the Cleveland-based research organization. Despite some economic weakness from the coronavirus pandemic, demand is expected to be sustained in 2020 and see healthy advances in the ensuing four years. …Plastic lumber sales are forecast to outpace WPC lumber sales based on plastic lumber’s superior performance compared to WPC, including greater durability and resistance to moisture. Plastic lumber will also benefit from advances in cellular PVC technology that improve the products’ ability to resemble natural wood, a key factor in the residential market, and the ease of installation in trim applications.

Read More

The Sustainable Furnishings Council names top scoring companies on wood scorecard

By Anne Flynn Wear
Furniture Today
October 16, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

HIGH POINT, North Carolina — The Sustainable Furnishings Council and the National Wildlife Federation have released the third annual edition of the Wood Furniture Scorecard, an assessment of wood sourcing policies at 94 furniture companies across North America. “Everyone’s future health depends upon the health of forests, so pointing customers to sustainably sourced wood is of paramount importance,” said Susan Inglis, SFC executive director. Companies can earn a total of 31 possible points for scorecard. These include nine for having a robust sourcing policy, 14 for the way in which that policy is implemented and another nine for exhibiting an overall commitment to sustainability. …The top scoring companies include: Circle Furniture, Cisco Home, City Furniture, CounterEv Furniture, Crate & Barrel, Ikea, Mebl Transforming Furniture, Re.Dwell, Simbly, Plank and Coil, Target, Vermont Woods Studios and Williams-Sonoma Inc. …This year’s top scoring company is Mebl, which is based in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Read More

Bringing the outside into the office: Coronavirus bolsters push towards healthier building design

By Emma Newburger
CNBC Environment
October 17, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

…The coronavirus pandemic has bolstered corporate interest in redesigning work space to simulate nature, have better air filtration systems and use more sustainable materials. …Companies have been increasingly embracing biophilic design — the concept of bringing the health benefits of the outdoors inside while cutting down on energy costs and boosting employee health and performance. Biophilic concepts include incorporating green walls with plants that help clean the air; natural materials like wood into spaces. …The pandemic has also put a spotlight on constructing new spaces that are adaptable to changing workplace norms and a need for more sustainable buildings to mitigate climate change. …Building developers are also turning to more sustainable and natural materials like mass timber, or solid wood panels, rather than concrete or steel that emit more carbon dioxide. Offices built with more mass timber store carbon and offset greenhouse gas emissions.

Read More

Bringing the outside into the office: Coronavirus bolsters push towards healthier building design

By Emma Newburger
CNBC News
October 17, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

…as the coronavirus pandemic worsens in the U.S., stay-at-home orders have loosened and companies have sent some workers back to offices… But architects and office designers have innovations to make corporate space healthier and better for the environment — projects they say will be in higher demand as corporations rethink their need for future office space. …Companies have been increasingly embracing biophilic design — the concept of bringing the health benefits of the outdoors inside while cutting down on energy costs and boosting employee health and performance. …Biophilic concepts include incorporating …natural materials like wood into spaces… Building developers are also turning to more sustainable and natural materials like mass timber, or solid wood panels, rather than concrete or steel that emit more carbon dioxide. mass timber stores carbon and offsets greenhouse gas emissions, reduces labor resources and produces a light and natural interior, which can have positive health impacts on the people working there

Read More

The American Wood Council Conducts Full-Scale CLT Diaphragm Tests

The American Wood Council
October 14, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

LEESBURG, VA. – The American Wood Council (AWC) has successfully completed two full-scale cross-laminated timber (CLT) diaphragm tests to provide strength and deformation data important for evaluating CLT diaphragm resistance to lateral wind and earthquake forces. The tests were completed at Weyerhaeuser’s ISO 17025 accredited test facility in Federal Way, Washington. “This research used full-scale seismic testing to test a CLT diaphragm supported by wood members, in this case glued laminated timber framing,” said AWC Vice President of Engineering Bradford Douglas. “The results showed the diaphragm performed well with diaphragm strength exceeding targets and load-deformation response primarily governed by connection behavior. This testing used the CLT diaphragm design approach incorporated in the 2021 Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic which relies upon the design of wood members and connections in accordance with applicable requirements of the 2018 National Design Specification for Wood Construction.”

Read More

USDA Forest Service Reports on Life-Cycle Assessment of Redwood Lumber

By Humboldt Sawmill Company, LLC
Cision Newswire
October 26, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

SANTA ROSA, California — USDA Forest Service researchers recently published FPL-RP-706, October 2020 entitled Cradle-to-Gate Life-Cycle Assessment of Redwood Lumber in the United States. Life-cycle assessment (LCA, also known as life-cycle analysis) can be thought of as an environmental audit where all of the environmental impacts from raw material extraction and processing (cradle) through manufacture and preparation for distribution (gate) are scientifically measured.  Primary data on forestry operations, transportation of logs from forests to the sawmill and lumber production, including sawing, drying and planing was collected from three major redwood lumber mills, including Humboldt Sawmill Company, LLC and Mendocino Forest Products Company, LLC, representing 66.6% of the total production volume of the redwood lumber industry in 2017. The authors collected primary data according to Consortium for Renewable Industrial Materials (CORRIM) research guidelines. Key findings of this study focus on energy consumption, biogenic carbon and global warming potential. 

Read More

Wooden telephone poles replaced with large plastic poles

By Grayce McCormick
Santa Barbara News-Press
October 17, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

Southern California Edison installed brand new plastic telephone poles in place of some old wooden ones in downtown Santa Barbara. The replacements in part reduce wildfire risk, and the plastic allows for increased durability and reliability. John McKinney, co-founder of the Bungalow Haven Neighborhood Association,  challenged the idea of replacing wooden poles with large, plastic ones. “We’re in a historic district … it’s a travesty that the utility, in the name of wildfire safety, is allowed to put in enormous plastic poles that are completely out of keeping with the neighborhood. We think that the money … could go to wildfire prone areas not downtown Santa Barbara where there is no fire risk practically at all.” …David Song, a SoCal Edison spokesman said that when SoCal Edison has the opportunity to replace a composite (wooden) pole with a plastic one, they’ll do it every time.

Read More

Get an early glimpse of the new timber-topped main terminal at Portland International Airport

By Matt Hickman
The Architect’s Newspaper
October 14, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

Portland, Oregon-headquartered architecture firm ZGF Architects is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its hometown air travel hub, the Portland International Airport (PDX), by publicly sharing several early design renderings of the upcoming new main terminal at the airport, expected to be completed in 2025. …The influence of the region’s natural landscapes will be most evident in the terminal’s vast timber roof, which will be studded with massive skylights and stretch across enlarged lobby and ticketing areas. As noted by ZGF in a news release, the roof, which will begin installation in 2022, is to be constructed—not at all surprisingly—from sustainably sourced regional wood. “The roof design was inspired by the forests of the Pacific Northwest and … the experience of light filtering through the trees, and the protection of the tree canopy,” explained Sharron van der Meulen, ZGF partner…, of the terminal’s strong arboreal influence.

Read More

Sustainable Facility Helps to Tell the All-Important Story of Water in the West

By Jennifer Seward
ENR Mountain States
October 15, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

LAYTON, Utah — The Water Efficiency Research Center is designed to help the Weber Basin cut its water use 25% by 2025. The 10,000-sq-ft building is constructed with renewable wood and energy systems that were carefully considered to reduce impacts on the environment. …The use of wood plays heavily into the design. “Wood, like water, has a natural cycle—an energy flow represented by billions of years evolving, adapting and changing,” Brems explains. Cross-laminated timber and glue-laminated timber from small-scale wood harvested from farmed and beetle-killed trees enhance sustainability and help to create a warm, open and transparent structure. …This is the second mass-timber building for GSBS. …Brems explains that mass-timber buildings are designed to burn only an inch, which means the wood does well in a fire. “They won’t burn down or collapse. 

Read More

Cross-Laminated Timber passes wind and earthquake tests with flying colors

By Rich Christianson
Woodworking Network
October 24, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

LEESBURG, Va. – The American Wood Council said it successfully completed two full-scale cross-laminated timber (CLT) diaphragm tests showing that CLT used in building roofs or floors meet the AWC’s wood construction specifications for lateral wind and earthquake forces.   The tests were conducted at Weyerhaeuser’s ISO 17025 accredited test facility in Federal Way, Wash.  “This research used full-scale seismic testing to test a CLT diaphragm support by wood members, in this case glued laminated timber framing,” said Bradford Douglas, P.E., vice president of engineering for AWC. “The results showed the diaphragm performed well with diaphragm strength exceeding targets and load-deformation response primarily governed by connection behavior. This testing used the CLT diaphragm design approach incorporated in the 2021 Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic which relies upon the design of wood members and connections in accordance with applicable requirements of the 2018 National Design Specifications for Wood Construction,” developed by the AWC Wood Designs Standards Committee through an ANSI consensus process.

Read More

Wooden building planned in Rogers 6-story structureto be office space Northwest Arkansas

By Nathan Owens
Democrat-Gazette
October 15, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

A mixed-use office building made of wood and designed with the pandemic in mind is to be built in Pinnacle Village, a workplace, retail and residential development in Rogers. The 166,000-square-foot building will have retail shops on the first floor and five upper levels of office space, according to plans from Miller Boskus Lack Architects, which is based in Fayetteville. … The architects said they wanted to create a light-filled workspace that embraced concepts such as sustainability, healthy living and well-being. Plans show the potential for nearby food trucks, cafes, shops and co-working spaces. They also show a connection to the Razorback Greenway trail. … Instead of concrete or steel beams, renderings show the use of cross laminated timber, a product of alternating wooden slats that when glued together are similar in concept to plywood. Over the years, this system has risen in popularity for its sustainability and cost benefits.

Read More

Geometric timber roofs cover Diamond Domes tennis courts in Switzerland

By India Block
Dezeen
October 28, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Swiss timber company Neue Holzbau has created a pair of geometric cross-laminated timber roofs for two indoor tennis courts by Rüssli Architekten in Bürgenstock, Switzerland. Called Diamond Domes, the tennis courts… are part of the Bürgenstock Resort in the Swiss Alps. Perched atop concrete foundations, the two indoor tennis courts with undulating roofs face each other across a central outdoor court. …Using spruce wood that is native to Switzerland, Neue Holzbau designed and built the roof for Lucerne-based architecture firm Rüssli Architekten. Harder ash wood was used for certain support beams. …the diamond-pattern … is meant to be reminiscent of crystal formations in rocks. …The tennis court roofs in Bürgenstock are a demonstration of an engineering system created by Neue Holzbau called GSA Technology. Steel rods are glued into the CLT so that each module can be quickly bolted and held in place, able to bear heavy loads.

Read More

System mapping of wood in construction uncovers key insights for land decarbonisation

European Institute of Innovation and Technology Climate-Knowledge and Innovation Community
October 27, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

The “Wood in Construction Systems Map,” developed by the University of Edinburgh, aims to uncover ways to increase the carbon benefits of wood fibre in UK construction. The map is part of EIT Climate-KIC’s Landscapes as Carbon Sinks Deep Demonstration in Scotland, a project aiming to help the country’s landscape systems decarbonise, adapt and increase resilience to climate change, and foster a bioeconomy—the sustainable extraction and production of natural resources, like wood. …combining forest growth with sustainable wood harvesting for long-term construction products can increase the overall carbon removed from the atmosphere and mitigate the risk of climate change, disease and pests to the forest carbon store. …The Landscapes as Carbon Sinks Deep Demonstration team looked at what is currently enabling and inhibiting the use of wood from Scottish forests in the UK construction sector. To bring these findings to life…the interactive “Wood in Construction System Map” was created.

Read More

Sorma Group Testing New 100% Recyclable Paper Packaging Solution

Produce Report
October 26, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Andrea Casali

With environmental impact and sustainability increasingly at the forefront of global conversation, the fresh produce industry is continuing to develop innovative solutions to minimize its effects on our planet. The Sorma Group, an industry leader in fruit and vegetable packaging, grading and weighing systems, is contributing to this effort with an innovative new 100% paper packing solution. The new line is made entirely of paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, and hence is 100% recyclable. It also features a distinctive cellulose mesh window for improved breathability, prolonging the shelf life of the produce and making it easily visible through the packaging. “With this new packaging line,” says Andrea Casali, sales director for Italy at the Sorma Group, “we are enhancing and completing our range with a focus on environmental sustainability, and we are meeting the demands of consumers who are paying increasing attention to this issue.”

Read More

From Ancient to Modern: Modular Construction in Chinese Timber Architecture

By Scarlett Miao
Arch Daily
October 24, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

As our cities continue to grow and expand rapidly, there has been an increasing demand for architects and craftsmen to build houses more cost-efficiently under tight deadlines. Modular architecture has been introduced as a concept which involves assembling multiple pre-fabricated modules on site to create a working unit. By joining similar elements together in various ways, modular architecture allows for more flexibilities in design and standardized repair.  Even since the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1912) dynasty, Chinese timber architecture has long been known for its techniques in creating beautiful and steady joinery, which not only contributes to the ancient root of modular construction in China, but also provides useful insight to modern architects while working with different scales.  …During the 2010 World Exposition in Shanghai, the China Pavilion designed by the Chinese architect He Jingtang was constructed to showcase the spirit of traditional Chinese culture.

Read More

Structural Timber Association: Seize the opportunity to “build back better”

By Andrew Carpenter, Chief executive, Structural Timber Association
The Planning, BIM & Construction Today
October 23, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

The Committee on Climate Change has advised the government to use the Coronavirus crisis as a catalyst for reducing the construction industry’s carbon emissions and called for ministers to seize the opportunity to make the industry greener. Andrew Carpenter, chief executive of the Structural Timber Association, discusses how structural timber systems can help the UK construction industry to “build back better” by delivering both quality and sustainability assurances. …the world has woken up to the detrimental impact that we are having on the planet. Now is the time to invest in building in timber for not only safeguarding the environment and reaching net-zero carbon targets but also to deliver predictability of quality and performance. This is a massive opportunity for the UK to make a sizable step-change and opt for more sustainable building technologies….Structural timber systems are now acknowledged as the optimum construction solution in the battle to reduce carbon emissions.

Read More

Building Scientists Concerned Over Building Fire Risks After Proposed Safety Changes Scrapped

By Oculus Architectural Engineering Ltd
Scoop Independent News
October 22, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

New Zealand – A year after the Sky City Convention Centre fire, building scientists Oculus Architectural Engineering, are voicing concerns about the combustibility of cladding still being used on many New Zealand buildings. Co-director Shawn McIsaac says there are thousands of Kiwis living in multistorey buildings with combustible cladding and timber as part of the façade assembly and that proper testing is the only way to make sure buildings are safe, preventing disasters such as the Grenfell fire in London. Proposed changes to the building code that would have required much more rigorous fire testing of cladding on buildings between 10 and 25 metres tall, appear to have been indefinitely postponed by MBIE, despite submissions showing overwhelming support for them to go ahead, McIsaac says. “We need to ask the public whether they feel safe in an eight-story building with combustible materials on the outside. It appears that will be permitted.”

Read More

Wood Protection Association announces 2020 Award winners in online show

Timber Trades Journal
October 22, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Wood Hotel, Norway

The winners of the 2020 WPA Awards for wood protection excellence have been announced in a live online event held on October 15. Now in their sixth year, the Wood Protection Association Awards are a showcase for the UK wood protection industry and the vital role preservative pre-treatments, modified wood and flame retardants play in making the most of wood as a sustainable construction material. Covid-19 meant that the original 2020 Awards event in April had to be postponed and rescheduled for October. However, ongoing pandemic restrictions put paid to that too. Moving the event online meant that over 60 WPA members and guests could still gather together safely to see WPA chief executive Gordon Ewbank host a review of the finalists in each of the five Awards categories and announce the winners.  

The 2020 Award Categories and winners are:

  • Wood Protection Project of the Year: Woodsafe Fire Protection for the Wood Hotel, Norway
  • Treated Wood Trader of the Year: James Jones and Sons
  • Innovation Award: BSW for IRO wood
  • Treatment Quality Award: W J Treatments, Rochester, Kent
  • Outstanding Contribution Award: Willie Clason

Read More

Bioplastics need a major intervention: Wood Mackenzie

Plastics in Packaging
October 19, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

The bioplastics industry will require significant regulatory interventions from governments and substantial cost efficiencies… in order to achieve the scale needed to play a meaningful role, claims market analyst Wood Mackenzie. “From a sustainability point of view, bioplastics have two main benefits,” explained Guy Bailey, head of intermediates and applications. “As a renewable resource, they have a substantially lower lifetime carbon footprint than fossil fuel-derived polymers. Their biodegradability provides another route to reducing levels of plastics in the waste stream.” Despite the urgent need to increase the sustainability of the industry, bioplastics still play a small role in the plastics value chain today, making up less than 1 per cent of global plastics consumption. …“Cost is a significant barrier to scaling up bioplastics, as manufacturing bioplastics is often much more expensive than traditional polymers. Until bioplastics can consistently compete on price, they’re unlikely to displace commodity thermoplastics in most applications,” added Bailey.

Read More

Gare Maritime In Brussels turned into a timber shopping centre

By India Block
Dezeen
October 15, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Neutelings Riedijk Architects has converted a railway station in Brussels into a mixed-use development, which is the largest cross-laminated timber project in Europe. Within the former 20th-century railway shed the architecture studio has created 12 pavilions from 10,000 cubic metres of timber making it Europe’s largest cross-laminated timber (CLT) project according to developer Extensa. The goods railway sheds near Brussels’ docks have been turned into a covered hall filled with shops and offices and space for events, as part of the wider Tour & Taxi development. A glass and timber roof covers the historic steel struts of Gare Maritime. The CLT volumes below are clad in oak and surrounded by trees and indoor parks.CLT is made by glueing together panels of wood, a renewable material, to create a light yet sturdy construction material. For Gare Maritime, using CLT meant the structures could be prefabricated offsite to cut down construction time.

Read More

Nicolas Pople Architects creates vaulted CLT church in Stroud

By Tom Ravenscroft
Dezeen Magazine
October 14, 2020
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Nicolas Pople Architects has created a facetted cross-laminated timber chapel for a church in the town of Stroud in southwest England.  Built for the Christian Community in Stroud, the timber chapel was made from a combination of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels and glue-laminated (glulam) structural beams.  Nicolas Pople Architects worked with structural engineer Corbett Tasker to create the facetted CLT structure, which was designed to invoke the feeling of a contemporary gothic cathedral.  ….Within the main chapel, the walls and roof are made from angled slabs of exposed structural CLT.  The architecture studio wanted to create a space with interesting geometries, but one that had clean lines and did not distract from the Christian Community services that take place.

Read More

←
→