Monthly Update: November 2020

The AWC completed two full-scale cross laminated timber (CLT) diaphragm tests in an effort to generate the strength and deformation data needed to evaluate CLT diaphragm resistance to lateral wind and earthquake forces. The diaphragms performed well with the diaphragm strength exceeded targets, while load-deformation response was primarily governed by connection behavior.

The tests were completed at Weyerhaeuser’s ISO 17025-accredited test facility in Federal Way, Washington, and used the CLT diaphragm design approach found in the 2021 Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic, which is aligned with the 2018 National Design Specification^® for Wood Construction. The results will allow researchers to identify opportunities for optimization in diaphragm design and advance the use of this technology in floors and roofs.

The International Code Council (ICC) recently announced the introduction of the Tall Mass Timber Buildings Special Inspector Certification, which was a provision of the Group B tall mass timber code development process. The curriculum and test will ensure that inspectors are qualified to inspect critical elements of mass timber construction.

The AWC’s Fire Service Relations Manager, Ray O’Brocki, served on the ICC’s Exam Development Committee with building officials and design and construction professionals. The committee identified the various tasks of a tall mass timber inspector, assigned a percentage of importance to each, and then created test questions based on the 2021 International Building Code (IBC), 2021 International Fire Code, and Mass Timber Buildings and the IBC^®, which was created by the AWC and ICC.

Think Wood is sponsoring two virtual panels with top architects, developers, and influencers to explore wood’s role in sustainability, occupant wellness, and hybrid construction, all of which are expected to be key construction trends in 2021. Besides imparting wood-friendly messaging, such events enable Think Wood to generate contacts for its database and identify qualified project leads.

In November, Think Wood sponsored a Multi-Housing News panel, Building Better: Sustainability, Wellness and the Multifamily Resident, which discussed how sustainable construction, including the use of timber products, can provide key competitive advantages. The panel featured Jessica Cooper of International WELL Building Institute, Erin Hatcher of AMLI Residential, John Klein of Generate Architecture + Technologies, and Phil Lukowski of Waterton. More than 500 individuals registered for the webinar and will be added to the Think Wood database.

On December 3, Think Wood will sponsor Architectural Record’s AIA-accredited webinar, A Hybrid Approach: Combining Mass Timber with Steel and Concrete, which will explore how and why design teams are turning to mass timber and hybrid systems to increase environmental attributes and speed construction. The webinar will feature Brian Court, Partner, Miller Hull Partnership; Max Richter, Senior Associate and Co-Director of the Material Performance Lab, Perkins and Will; and John Peronto, Senior Principal, Thornton Tomasetti.

Mark your calendar and register now if you would like to participate.

Think Wood is leading the building industry conversation on carbon via its educational offerings, case studies, and articles that showcase wood’s carbon story.

In the October issue of Construction Specifier, Think Wood placed the article “Measuring a Building’s Embodied Carbon,” which was written by forestry and sustainability expert, Edie Sonne Hall. The article educates architects and engineers on wood life-cycle assessments (LCAs), environmental product declarations (EPDs), and wood’s role in carbon reduction and sequestration, drawing heavily on a Think Wood CEU, How to Calculate the Wood Carbon Footprint of a Building, which is currently the top-performing class on The Wood Institute website.

Sonne Hall recently spoke at Architecture 2030’s Carbon Positive conference and worked closely with the AWC in support of the Wood Carbon Series with the Carbon Leadership Forum. The series convened wood experts to answer common and critical questions about wood’s carbon impacts on the building industry.

At the start of the pandemic, WoodWorks quickly pivoted to online education to ensure that it was still providing valuable information to the architecture, engineering, and construction community. More than six months in, WoodWorks’ online events are attracting two to four times more attendees than past in-person events and delivering up to three times more new contacts.

WoodWorks anticipates continuing to hold events online in 2021, but also still believes that the most effective approach is to host events of all types and sizes and on a wide variety of topics to appeal to different audiences. Regardless of the forum used, WoodWorks continues to emphasize strong and varied content and speakers, which reinforce its reputation for high educational value.

Photo Credit: Marcus Kauffman

The wood products industry’s annual celebration of National Forest Products Week in October was made even more special this year as it coincided with the American Wood Council (AWC)’s 10th anniversary of being an independent trade association. Throughout the week, the AWC highlighted its major accomplishments over the past decade in emails to its membership and partner organizations. A compilation of its many accomplishments can be viewed in a short video on the AWC’s YouTube page.