Wanted: Tall Wood Building Pioneers

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2014


A new $2 million federal contest aims to identify architecturally and commercially viable wood products for tall building construction.

The unstated message: Tall buildings should not be the exclusive purview of steel and concrete, and wood isn't just for log cabins.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the Softwood Lumber Board and the Binational Softwood Lumber Council, announced the U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition on Friday (Oct. 10) in the Federal Register.

Wood Buildings
Midroc Property Development
Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and other emerging wood technologies are being used in new construction projects, such as these apartment buildings in Vaxjo, Sweden.
Wood Buildings
Midroc Property Development

Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and other emerging wood technologies are being used in new construction projects, such as these apartment buildings in Vaxjo, Sweden.

Real-estate developers, designers, organizations and institutions are eligible to enter.

Contest Objective

The objective of the competition is to identify one or more proponents with building project(s) in the concept, schematic- or design-development stage who can safely and successfully demonstrate the use of wood as a viable structural material in tall buildings, according to the USDA.

Entries will be accepted until Dec. 8.

TMI Coatings, Inc.
NLB Corporation

Wood Building Science Grows

“There is a breadth of wood-related building science, design and construction that’s underway internationally,” according to Marc Brinkmeyer, SLB Board Chair.

base painters
Tarps manufacturing, Inc.

“In recent years, we’ve seen a number of buildings over seven stories constructed around the world, including the 10-story Forte building in Melbourne, Australia, and the 14-story Treet building in Bergen, Norway.

“The opportunity to learn from what’s been done elsewhere, and build on it here in the U.S., is very exciting for our industry, our employees and communities.”

Quikspray, Inc.
Just Like New Overspray Management

More information: https://tallwoodbuildingcompetition.org/.

Tagged categories: Color + Design; Competitions; Construction; Contests; Government; Research; Technology; Wood


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