Six Winners Announced for $2M Mass Timber Competition: Building to Net-Zero Carbon

OREGON CITY, Ore., June 23, 2022 (Newswire.com) -  Six winners of the Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) and USDA Forest Service (USDA) $2,000,000 2022 Mass Timber Competition: Building to Net-Zero Carbon were announced today. The winning projects demonstrate mass timber's innovative applications in architectural design, and highlight its significant role in reducing the carbon footprint of the built environment. 

"One aspect of managing healthy, resilient forests is sustainable harvesting. Our overstocked forests are vulnerable to a number of issues, namely wildfires. As wildfires become more prevalent across the United States, mass timber supports not just forest health but low carbon buildings - both vital tools in mitigating the impacts of climate change," said John Crockett, USDA Forest Service Associate Deputy Chief of State and Private Forestry.

"The SLB is gratified to see the breadth of concepts and building typologies entered in the competition. With nearly 60 submissions, we saw excellent examples of the innovative designs mass timber makes possible," said SLB Chief Marketing Officer Ryan Flom. "These six winning designs will serve to advance not just our body of knowledge for mass timber construction, they will inform the growing shift towards building for occupancy well-being, resilience and a minimal carbon footprint."

The Building to Net-Zero Carbon winning proposals include: 

• Project: Vancouver Ambulatory Care Center. Building Type: Medical Center. Project Team: ZGF, Timberlab, Swinerton, and PCS Structural Solutions.
• Project: Return to Form. Building Type: High Rise Multifamily w/ Affordable Housing Units. Project Team: Katz Development, Timberlab, KL&A Engineers and Builders, and Tres Birds. 
• Project: Evergreen Charter School. Building Type: School. Project Team: Martin Hopp Architect, Consigli, and Odeh Engineers.
• Project: Alaskan Copper & Brass. Building Type: Warehouse. Project Team: atelierjones, Foushée, Timberlab, and DCI Engineers.
• Project: INTRO Cleveland Phase 2. Building Type: High Rise Multifamily. Project Team: Harbor Bay Real Estate Advisors, Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, and Forefront Structural Engineers.
• Project: Killingsworth. Building Type: Community-centric Office Space. Project Team: Adre, LEVER Architecture, and Holmes US.

WoodWorks, a non-profit staffed with structural engineers, architects, and construction experts, managed all aspects of the competition, including project evaluation by an independent judging committee. Expert judges representing architecture, engineering, construction, real estate development, forestry, and sustainability selected the winners. They included Joe Allbright, Senior Director, Corporate Real Estate, Walmart; Ted Black, Chief Deputy Utah State Fire Marshal, Utah State; Kathryn Fernholz, President/CEO, Dovetail Partners; Julia Gisewite, Chief Sustainability Officer, Turner Construction Company; Tim Gokhman, Managing Director, New Land Enterprises; Jordan Komp, P.E., S.E., Vice President and MKE Office Director, Thornton Tomasetti; Anne Schopf, FAIA, Partner, Mahlum; Wil V. Srubar III, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Colorado Boulder; and Joe Vaughn, Key Account Manager, Natural Capital Exchange, NCX. 

Winning proposals exemplified capabilities to design and construct mass timber buildings in the U.S. that are repeatable and scalable. Lessons learned from the competition projects will be shared with the broader design and construction community to help support future projects, including cost analyses, life cycle assessments, and other research results. The timber sourced for each project demonstrated sustainable forest management that contributes to forest and watershed health. Preference was provided for projects that committed to using domestically harvested and manufactured mass timber. 

Competition winners will provide quarterly updates to inform stakeholders of their progress, and payouts of competition funds will correspond to reported progress. For images and more information on the winning projects, contact [email protected]. 

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About the Softwood Lumber Board

The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) is an industry funded initiative established to promote the uses as well as the environmental and economic benefits of softwood lumber products. Programs and initiatives supported by the SLB, including American Wood Council, Think Wood and WoodWorks, focus on increasing the demand for lumber products in the United States. For more information visit www.softwoodlumberboard.org. 

About the USDA Forest Service

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America's food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov. 

About WoodWorks

WoodWorks - Wood Products Council is a non-profit that provides education and free technical support related to the design, engineering, and construction of commercial and multi-family wood buildings in the U.S. Staffed with architects, structural engineers, and construction experts, WoodWorks has the expertise to assist with all aspects of wood building design. Major funding comes from the Softwood Lumber Board (SLB), USDA Forest Service, and Forestry Innovation Investment. For assistance with a project, visit www.woodworks.org/project-assistance or email [email protected].

Media Contact: 

Samantha Hanson

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(218) 576-7236

Source: Softwood Lumber Board