flexiblefullpage -
billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Currently Reading

Design competition launched to show role of mass timber in decarbonization

Codes and Standards

Design competition launched to show role of mass timber in decarbonization

Forest Service and Softwood Lumber Board will award $2 million in grants to winning teams.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | October 28, 2021
Lumber pile

Courtesy Pixabay

The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) and USDA Forest Service (USDA) recently launched a competition to demonstrate the role of mass timber in decarbonizing the built environment.

The competition will award $2 million to multiple project teams that design and construct mass timber buildings in the U.S. that are repeatable and scalable. The award program will also share lessons learned and research findings, including carbon footprint life cycle assessment results, to help support future mass timber projects.

Eligible building types include commercial, institutional, industrial, educational, mixed-use, and affordable multifamily housing developments. Applicants can submit proposals beginning in early 2022 and winners will be announced in late spring/early summer of that year.

Timber sourced for the project must be managed sustainably, contributing to forest and watershed health. Several approaches can be used to ensure sustainable supply of wood products, including federal, state, and local regulations, third-party certifications, best management practices, and an emerging ASTM standard.

Related Stories

| Mar 19, 2013

New LEED for Neighborhood Development and Historic Preservation guide released

A new guidance manual, LEED for Neighborhood Development and Historic Preservation, outlines strategies geared towards helping building teams incorporate historic resources into their developments.

| Mar 19, 2013

Senate bill would reform EPA’s lead renovation, repair, and painting rules

A bill to reform the EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule (LRRP) was recently introduced in the U.S. Senate.

| Mar 19, 2013

Boston mayor’s energy efficiency disclosure rule under fire

A proposed ordinance in Boston mandating energy audits is coming under criticism from the Greater Boston Real Estate Board and others as being too costly and intrusive.

| Mar 18, 2013

USGBC to GAO: 'Schools need over $271 billion in maintenance fixes'

  The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has released its first “State of our Schools” report, highlighting the  critical need to modernize school facilities to meet current health, safety and educational standards. 

| Mar 14, 2013

Survey: Market demand now key driver for green construction

Construction firms across the world expect 60% of their projects to be environmentally friendly by 2015, according to the SmartMarket Report of McGraw-Hill Construction.

| Mar 14, 2013

Possible tax code changes prompt action from various industries, including construction

With Congress potentially tackling tax reform, businesses, trade groups and others are jockeying to get their voices heard.

| Mar 14, 2013

Concrete Polishing Association of America releases new standards

The Concrete Polishing Association of America(CPAA) Standards Committee, which reflects a cross-section of the concrete polishing industry, has created terminology to define the products and processes used to produce insitu polished concrete.

| Mar 14, 2013

World Green Building Council: Green buildings help mitigate real estate risk

Green buildings can offer benefits to a wide array of stakeholders throughout their life cycle, according to a report released by the World Green Building Council.

| Mar 14, 2013

Sustainability index aims to evaluate REITs on the greenness of their properties

FTSE Group, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, and the U.S. Green Building Council are working on a sustainability index that measures the portfolios of real estate investment trusts to provide transparency about LEED certification and Energy Star ratings.

| Mar 6, 2013

OSHA: Employers must post injury and illness summaries

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is reminding employers to post OSHA Form 300A, which lists a summary of the total number of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred during 2012.

boombox1 - default
boombox2 -
native1 -

More In Category




halfpage1 -

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021