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...

“Sick house syndrome can be a serious problem in today’s newer, airtight homes. The indoor air can actually be more polluted than outdoor air, and some indoor chemicals can cause or exacerbate existing allergies.” When asked for healthy home building tips, mechanical...

In a seminar at the Toronto Wood Solutions Fair, architect, editor and adjunct professor, Lloyd Alter, discussed the uptick in construction of pre-engineered wood buildings in Canada, and blasted the false claims being made by the steel and concrete industries. In...

For renowned architect William McDonough, the element carbon is not the enemy, but rather “the currency of photosynthesis, a source of Earth’s capacity for regeneration.” Global warming is a design failure, not an environmental one, says McDonough. And he encourages...

Architects, designers, and homeowners are always finding fresh ways to use hardwood. What’s the appeal? Flexibility and variety, for starters! Here’s a look at what’s trending. Underfoot - No recent trend has been more influential than the use of wide-plank hardwood...

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's (CBF) Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach has achieved certification from one of the toughest building standards in the world— The Living Building Challenge™. A rigorous performance standard described “as a philosophy, advocacy...

Did you know that the volume of American hardwood species is such that when “architects, designers and manufacturers specify American hardwoods for their creative projects, the wood that’s used is replaced, through natural regrowth, within a matter of mere seconds?”...

At the 2016 London Design Festival, the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), in collaboration with Alison Brooks Architects and top engineering firm, Arup, is presenting ‘The Smile,’ an urban installation “that showcases the structural and spatial potential of...

“A number of governments are promoting greater wood use because of its recognized environmental benefits and economic development potential. In the U.S., building codes allow wood construction up to 6-stories in some regions, but no more than four in others. However,...

For centuries, products made from American hardwoods have been providing lasting beauty, warmth and functional value to our homes and countless structures everywhere. Future generations can expect the same. The U.S. Forest Service reports that the volume of hardwoods...