WoodWorks Partnership
Ascent Building during construction.
Mass timber can be a sustainable alternative to more fossil fuel-intensive building materials such as concrete or steel. However, there are still knowledge gaps among those working in the building industry about mass timber use and its benefits. The Forest Products Laboratory partnered with WoodWorks Partnership to help fill those gaps. Based on the highly successful joint Research Needs Workshop held last fall, project leaders identified several knowledge gaps for wood building specifiers that researchers can fill by quickly researching, summarizing, and sharing information with the public.
WoodWorks has built on knowledge gained during the highly successful joint Research Needs Workshop and outlined the key priorities of knowledge gaps for wood building specifiers. The WoodWorks Solution Team has identified top priorities that are a good fit for collaborative work with the Forest Products Lab. Deliverables include four technical resources, five expert tips and four technical transfer webinars. Published products are available at woodworks.org.
Objectives
Create resources to fill knowledge gaps around mass timber buildings and design.
Expected Results
- Four technical resources with anticipated due dates of October 2025. Topics covered are:
- Structural Fire design of mass timber
- Mass timber Inspections
- MEPF routing options in mass timber multi-family buildings
- Technical Paper on Industrial Buildings
- Five Expert Tips, shorter pages with anticipated due dates of October 2024 and 2025. Topics covered are:
- Exterior Walls (October 2024)
- CLT Shear Walls (October 2024)
- CLT Two-way design (October 2024)
- Construction Moisture Management (October 2025)
- Enclosure design of mass timber buildings (October 2025)
- Four technical transfer webinars. Topics covered are:
- CLT Diaphragm Design using SDPWS 2021 (October 2025)
- Mass Timber Design Example (October 2024)
- Lateral-101 for Architects (March 2025)
- FEM Modeling for Wood Diaphragms (March 2025)
Expected Outcomes
Additional resources about mass timber design and wood use in multifamily and commercial buildings could lead to increased use of mass timber in building construction.
Geographies and High-Risk Landscapes to be Addressed
A national-level project emphasizing work in high-risk landscapes.
People
Principal Investigators
-
Person
William A. Martin, PhD
Assistant Directorhttps://research.fs.usda.gov/about/people/william.martin2 -
Woodworks
Jennifer Cover