The U.S. Department of Agriculture aims to promote the construction of tall wood buildings for environmental benefits and to boost a new industry.
The U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition, a collaboration the department spearheads in conjunction with the Softwood Lumber Board and Binational Softwood Lumber Council, announced two $1.5 million awards to the winning designs. The winners will use cross-laminated timber to support structures of 10 stories or higher.
Department Secretary Tom Vilsack cited a recent study that showed harvesting, transporting, manufacturing, and using wood in lumber and panel products in construction yields fewer air emissions than other materials. In addition, it promotes more carbon sequestration by putting insect-damaged trees into buildings before a wildfire burns them, he said.
Both of the winning designs were for residential buildings. One is a 10-story condominium project in New York City. The other is a 12-story apartment building in Portland, Oregon.
New York City's 475 West 18th building, by SHoP Architects. It won the East Coast prize in the U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition. Rendering courtesy SHoP Architects.
Related Stories
| Dec 18, 2013
Firestone Building Products acquires Spain-based Terrassa in global expansion
Firestone has announced that it has agreed to acquire the manufacturing assets and brands of Terrassa, Spain-based Giscosa and Giscolene®. The acquisition of the Giscosa Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) plant near Barcelona expands Firestone’s global manufacturing and distribution capabilities and product offering.
| Dec 16, 2013
Is the metal building industry in a technology shift?
Automation is the future you can’t avoid, though you may try. Even within the metal building industry—which is made up of skilled tradesmen—automation has revolutionized, and will continue revolutionizing, how we work.
| Dec 10, 2013
16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.
| Nov 27, 2013
Wonder walls: 13 choices for the building envelope
BD+C editors present a roundup of the latest technologies and applications in exterior wall systems, from a tapered metal wall installation in Oklahoma to a textured precast concrete solution in North Carolina.
| Nov 27, 2013
University reconstruction projects: The 5 keys to success
This AIA CES Discovery course discusses the environmental, economic, and market pressures affecting facility planning for universities and colleges, and outlines current approaches to renovations for critical academic spaces.
| Nov 22, 2013
Health Product Declaration Collaborative to develop protocol for third-party verification of HPDs
Seven leading product sustainability assessment companies partner with the HPD Collaborative to develop the verification and quality assurance protocols.
| Nov 19, 2013
Top 10 green building products for 2014
Assa Abloy's power-over-ethernet access-control locks and Schüco's retrofit façade system are among the products to make BuildingGreen Inc.'s annual Top-10 Green Building Products list.
| Nov 18, 2013
USGBC, UL Environment announce joint Environmental Product Declaration
Strategic partnership between U.S. Green Building Council and UL Environment will focus on building materials and product transparency.
| Nov 15, 2013
Metal makes its mark on interior spaces
Beyond its long-standing role as a preferred material for a building’s structure and roof, metal is making its mark on interior spaces as well.
