From the Pros
Industry perspectives from the professional specifier.
Building the cities of tomorrow, Today!
Could it be that wood will be the material of choice for future skyscrapers? The case is indeed being made for Hardwood Cross Laminated Timber (CLT). To date however, softwood is the accepted CLT material in “tall” construction. In Oregon in mid-2017, the city of...
AIA 2017 Small Project Awards
The Small Project Awards Program of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) “was established to recognize small-project practitioners for the high quality of their work and to promote excellence in small-project design.” The program, now in its 14th year, “strives...
American Hardwoods in Structural Applications
“For decades, our choice of wood species for timber construction has often been determined by price, rather than performance. But times are changing, and so are the products and construction techniques available to engineers who want to build in timber.”“For decades,...
Experts Weigh in on the Color-of-the-Year
If the elegance, formality and power of the color black have made it a favorite hue in your color palette, you’re going to love this ... three paint companies forecast that the sultry shade will soon be topping the list in 2018 as Color of the Year. Here’s the how and...
New Tools for Specifying American Hardwood
The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) announced the availability of “innovative, interactive tools designed to put architects and designers in the drivers’ seat when it comes to specifying American hardwood.” You’ll find the following at...
The Evolution of Timber Construction
“An engineering marvel made of American white oak features in the redevelopment of the Warner Stand at one of the world’s most iconic sporting facilities, Lord’s Cricket Ground in St. John’s Wood, London. In this pioneering project, the roof of the stand is formed...
The most renewable resource – Wood
Did you know that “organic aspirin comes from willows and that rayon fabric is made largely from wood pulp?” In an article entitled, “Forest heroes: it begins with logging,” educator, forester, and wildlife biologist Bill Cook reports that “Thousands of products that...
Making the Switch to Timber Construction
Earlier this year, the University of Massachusetts Amherst celebrated the opening of its newly constructed Design Building, “the largest, modern wood building in the northeastern United States, and one of the first institutional buildings to employ an engineered...
2030 Commitment Reality Check
“The architecture industry is increasingly having an impact on the built environment’s energy efficiency and carbon emissions. The main vehicle: the AIA 2030 Commitment program.” Each year, the AIA releases a report on the 2030 portfolio’s progress, and the most...
Dateline: Washington, D.C.
Legislators from both sides of the aisle recently moved “to reintroduce the Timber Innovation Act – bipartisan, bicameral legislation that aims to find new and innovative uses for wood as a building material.” “Building with wood benefits both rural economies and the...