840 students design wood housing for SLB-sponsored competition | SLB September Newsletter

Driven by growing demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure, data centers are one of the fastest-growing segments of commercial construction. The segment is expected to grow by 26% in 2026 and 17% in 2027, far above the market average, and represents part of the overall office segment’s 299 MM BF annual incremental lumber demand opportunity by 2035. Meta, pictured above, is a major player in the data center space and is piloting mass timber buildings at sites in Wyoming and Alabama. WoodWorks is helping position mass timber for increased use in the data center sector with recent successes:

• • CLT Creates New Opportunity for Hyperscale Data Centers – WoodWorks helped a major hyperscale data center team in Wisconsin justify the use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) skid platforms, establishing a repeatable pathway for wood use.
  • Tour Leads to First Mass Timber Data Center – Following a connection made during a Washington, D.C., building tour, WoodWorks provided technical guidance that helped advance a technology company’s first mass timber data center prototype, creating a nationally significant demonstration project.
  • Early Design Support Advances Texas Data Center – Working with a general contractor during early project planning, WoodWorks provided conceptual design guidance and construction resources that helped evaluate mass timber for a large-scale data center in Texas.
• National Webinar Features Data Center Design Leaders – WoodWorks’ national webinar, “Exploring Mass Timber for Data Center Design,” attracted 1,900 specifiers, with 72% of attendees saying they gained ideas to use wood where other materials are typical.

The AWC has completed the 2027 edition of the Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic (SDPWS) standard, which has already been approved as an American National Standard by ANSI and will be referenced in the 2027 I-Codes. The 2027 edition provides design teams with additional options for light-frame wood and mass timber construction, helping to expand wood’s market share in regions with high wind and seismic demands.

SDPWS is the wood industry’s standard used by engineers and code officials for the design of wood structures to resist seismic and wind loads. As an ANSI-approved standard, SDPWS must be updated every five to six years, ensuring that the provisions keep pace with the changes in other standards. The consistent, consensus-based updates to the standard help ensure engineers and builders can rely on SDPWS with confidence when building in seismic and wind-prone regions.

Among the many significant changes in the 2027 edition, two new systems have been added, giving builders more flexibility in wood construction: the Post-Tensioned Timber Rocking Wall system and a new sheathed wood-frame High-Capacity One-Sided Shear Wall system. The changes could open up new opportunities for wood products in seismic regions like California, as well as for wood-frame buildings with lots of exterior glass—a feature in demand among architects. In addition, the AWC made several changes to the design procedures for CLT diaphragms based on the analysis of new research on full-size CLT diaphragm tests, the same research that is now shaping the proposed seismic design coefficients for CLT diaphragms in ASCE 7-28. 

With the 2027 SDPWS complete, the AWC remains committed to the rigorous, science-backed process that keeps wood construction standards safe and current as it looks to finish updates to the Permanent Wood Foundation Design Specification (PWF) this year and then begin updates to the 2024 National Design Specification for Wood Construction (NDS), the 2024 Fire Design Specification for Wood Construction (FDS), and the 2024 Wood-Frame Construction Manual for One- and Two-Family Dwellings (WFCM).

Think Wood’s recent case study of the new Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville provides an inspiring example of how lumber-based structural systems can support universities’ biophilic design goals. The design by Aidlin Darling Design with VMDO Architects features 27-foot-tall, exposed Douglas fir glulam columns in a courtyard adjacent to the site’s natural glen.

“Wood is fundamental to the concept of the whole entire project,” Aidlin Darling principal Kent Chiang says. “We could talk all day long about light and air and landscaping and connection to nature through a courtyard, but it would not get there without the wood columns.”

Education construction is a high-priority segment for the SLB, with more than 3,500 buildings constructed each year and an annual incremental lumber demand opportunity of 203 MM BF. Think Wood is demonstrating the value that wood design can bring to these projects with case studies like the Contemplative Sciences Center and a recent article that featured the AIA Education Facility Design Award winners—all eight of which featured mass timber. The AIA’s awards are a strong indication that wood is becoming an important feature in contemporary education design. Think Wood’s resources capitalize on these trends to inspire and engage design teams—and high levels of engagement with campaign materials directly correlate to users being more likely to specify wood in future projects.

The SLB sponsored the sixth cycle of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture’s Timber in the City student design competition. The 2025–2026 program attracted 840 registered students from 58 schools and ultimately received 208 project submissions—the highest total yet. The record response demonstrates the program’s reach and the strong interest among architecture students in applying wood to contemporary design challenges.

This year’s brief focused on attainable “missing middle” housing—the range between single-family homes and high-rise apartments that represents a strong opportunity for lumber demand growth. Students were asked to develop replicable wood-based solutions for a real urban site at three scales, from structures under 1,000 square feet to buildings of up to 20,000 square feet. Proposals had to balance affordability, constructability, lower-carbon performance, community context, and occupant well-being, with softwood lumber serving as the primary structural material.

Although Timber in the City is a competition, much of its value comes from how the work is developed. With 125 faculty advisors supporting participants, many entries grew out of design studios and related coursework, allowing the competition brief to serve as a ready-made teaching framework. In this way, the program brings wood directly into architecture classrooms, giving students applied experience with wood systems while helping faculty incorporate wood design into their curricula.

For decades, other material industries—including concrete masonry and steel—have supported annual student design competitions to engage future architects. SLB’s sponsorship ensures that students also have access to a prominent wood-focused opportunity and that wood remains visible within this established form of design education. By challenging students to use wood-based solutions to address a pressing housing need, Timber in the City helps position wood as a practical and scalable material before participants enter professional practice. Explore the winning submissions here.