Five winners of the 2023 Mass Timber Competition: Building to Net-Zero Carbon, funded jointly by the Softwood Lumber Board and USDA Forest Service (USDA), were announced. The winning projects received funds totalling US$2.2 million to demonstrate mass timber’s applications in architectural design and highlight its significant role in reducing the carbon footprint of the built environment. Source: Timberbiz
Winning proposals exemplified new ways to design and construct mass timber buildings in the US at higher scale, as well as a commitment to strengthen the mass timber supply chain through the use of domestically sourced wood from sustainably managed forests.
Award recipients pledged to share with the broader design and construction community lessons learned during project phases, including cost analyses, life cycle assessments, and other research results.
“One way to improve the health and resilience of forests is by sustainably harvesting trees to manufacture wood products like mass timber,” said John Crockett, USDA Forest Service Associate Deputy Chief of State and Private Forestry.
“As wildfires become more prevalent across the United States, a stronger supply chain for lumber and mass timber improves forest health and supports the construction of low carbon buildings—both effective ways to mitigate the impacts of climate change.”
This year’s winning proposals included:
Project: CODA Detroit. Building Type: Mixed-Use Residential. Project Team: OOMBRA Architects, Brush Park Properties / IN Development Partners, JDH Engineering, Britt Peters and Associates, and AM Higley.
Project: Up@310 Lofts. Project Type: Vertical Addition. Project Team: Lignin Group, Tim Olson, Banwell Architects, 310 Marlboro St., and Entuitive.
Project: Via/NWA IC Program. Building Type: Affordable Multifamily Housing. Project Team: A226, Blue Crane, Modus Studio, Tatum-Smith-Welcher, Aspect Structural Engineers, and Arco Construction.
Project: The Village SF Wellness Center. Building Type: Mixed Use. Project Team: PYATOK architecture + urban design, The Friendship House Association of American Indians, DCI Engineers, and Cahill Contractors.
Project: Woolsey Gardens. Building Type: Mid-Rise Multifamily. Project Team: Solomon Cordwell Buenz, Northern California Land Trust, Tipping Structural Engineers, Swinerton Builders, and Timberlab.
The 2023 competition was the second consecutive year of the program, which in 2022 awarded US$2 million in total funds to six recipients.