The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) and the Binational Softwood Lumber Council (BSLC) congratulated the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the formal launch of the U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition.
The competition invites U.S. developers, institutions, organizations and design teams willing to undertake an alternative solution approach to designing and building taller wood structures to submit entries for a prize of $2 million.
Following a funding initiative announced by the Obama Administration and the U.S. forestry industry through the USDA, SLB and BSLC earlier this year, the goal of the prize competition is to link rural U.S. technical expertise and products with evolving domestic and international market opportunities to showcase the application and sustainability of innovative wood-based structural building materials and solutions.
The objective of the competition is to identify proponents with building project(s) in the concept-, schematic- or design-development stage in the U.S. that can safely and successfully demonstrate the use of wood as a viable structural material in tall buildings.
Above and beyond the safety, environmental and economic benefits of wood, the initiative will challenge developers, designers, building officials, builders and manufacturers to further develop and refine specification and use of structural wood products - ultimately expanding the opportunity for new product and market development.
Marc Brinkmeyer, SLB Board Chair explained, “There is a breadth of wood-related building science, design and construction that’s underway internationally. 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. I am equally thrilled and appreciative of the partnership that industry has forged with the USDA on this competition, and am looking forward to seeing the great wood-based projects that will result. Wood truly is an optimal choice for the environment and economy.”
The competition is the first step of a new USDA and forest industry initiative that is designed to support rural U.S. communities. Submissions that meet the criteria of the competition will be evaluated by an expert panel of design and building professionals. The full Official Rules document, related background information and contact details can be found on the prize competition website.
Related Stories
| Oct 31, 2013
74 years later, Frank Lloyd Wright structure built at Florida Southern College
The Lakeland, Fla., college adds to its collection of FLW buildings with the completion of the Usonian house, designed by the famed architect in 1939, but never built—until now.
| Oct 31, 2013
CBRE's bold experiment: 200-person office with no assigned desks [slideshow]
In an effort to reduce rent costs, real estate brokerage firm CBRE created its first completely "untethered" office in Los Angeles, where assigned desks and offices are replaced with flexible workspaces.
| Oct 30, 2013
15 stellar historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovation projects
The winners of the 2013 Reconstruction Awards showcase the best work of distinguished Building Teams, encompassing historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovations and additions.
| Oct 30, 2013
11 hot BIM/VDC topics for 2013
If you like to geek out on building information modeling and virtual design and construction, you should enjoy this overview of the top BIM/VDC topics.
| Oct 29, 2013
Increased backlogs, margins lead to renewed optimism in global construction
After prolonged economic uncertainty, a majority of executives in the global engineering and construction sector have fresh confidence in the growth prospects for the industry, according to KPMG International's 2013 Global Construction Survey. A general increase in backlogs and margins is giving cause for optimism across the industry, with further growth anticipated.
| Oct 29, 2013
BIG opens subterranean Danish National Maritime Museum [slideshow]
BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) has completed the Danish National Maritime Museum in Helsingør. By marrying the crucial historic elements with an innovative concept of galleries and way-finding, BIG’s renovation scheme reflects Denmark's historical and contemporary role as one of the world's leading maritime nations.
| Oct 28, 2013
Urban growth doesn’t have to destroy nature—it can work with it
Our collective desire to live in cities has never been stronger. According to the World Health Organization, 60% of the world’s population will live in a city by 2030. As urban populations swell, what people demand from their cities is evolving.
| Oct 28, 2013
Metal roofs are topping more urban dwellings
Given their durability and ease of use, metal roofs have been a common feature on rural houses for decades. Now they’re becoming an increasingly popular choice on urban dwellings as well.
| Oct 25, 2013
Hoffmann Architects announces launch of U.S. Capitol Dome restoration
The Architect of the Capitol will undertake comprehensive restoration of the 150-year-old cast iron Dome, which has not undergone a complete restoration since 1959-1960.
| Oct 23, 2013
AIA: Crowd-funding shows promise for financing real estate projects
The American Institute of Architects issued a statement on the SEC's recent 5-0 vote to propose rules aimed at letting startups tap large numbers of ordinary investors for small amounts of capital.