Described in October 2022 as the crown jewel of the massive $2 billion dollar expansion of the Portland International Airport, the 9-acre mass timber roof, which has been under construction since last year in a remote corner of the airfield, has been installed.
News in offsite construction
Simpson Strong-Tie Acquires EstiFrame Technologies
Simpson Strong-Ti announced on Tuesday that it has acquired EstiFrame Technologies, located in Elk Grove, California. EstiFrame, founded in 2017, provides component manufacturing and framing technologies to the construction industry, including EasyFrame.
LEVER Architecture’s Mass Timber Design Selected for Portland Museum of Art Expansion
Among a total of 104 worldwide entries, LEVER Architecture’s mass timber design has been selected over three other international semifinalist teams to design an expansion of the Portland Museum of Art in Maine’s largest City.
World’s First 3D-Printed House Completed in Maine
The world’s first 3D-printed house—made entirely with bio-based materials such as wood flour, or fine sawdust, mixed with a binder made from corn—has come to life thanks to the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC), which spearheaded building BioHome3D in Orono, Maine.
Construction is Underway on the University of British Columbia’s Mass Timber Gateway Building
Construction is underway at the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) $180 million (CAD) Gateway Building. The six-story, 267,000 square-foot mass timber building is intended to be the “principal point of entry” to the UBC campus.
Plant Prefab Secures Additional Funding to Support Completion of Arvin Hub and Other Projects
Plant Prefab, the first Certified B Corporation building technology company dedicated to sustainable design, materials, and operations, announced on Wednesday that it has secured a $42 million in Series C and other funding to support the company’s capacity expansion and increased multi-unit housing production.
New Cross-Laminated Timber Hotel Opens on Danish Island of Bornholm
The Green Solutions House 2.0, a hotel on the Danish Island of Bornholm, has timber providing almost all of the building fabric. The modular building consists of a structural frame of cross-laminated timber (CLT), and exterior of timber boards and a layer of wood fiber insulation.
BC Forest Industry to Help Fund Trade and Technology Programs
Forestry sector leaders including Canfor, Hampton Lumber, Interfor, Mosaic Forest Management, Paper Excellence, Tolko, and West Fraser, and the Binational Softwood Lumber Council have joined forces and contributed $2.5 million (CAD) to the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Inspire Campaign.
BC Government and City of Vancouver to Build 90 Modular Housing Units
The British Columbia government and the City of Vancouver are joining forces to build 90 modular housing units that will provide round-the-clock support for people who are experiencing homelessness in the city’s Downtown Eastside.
UC San Diego to Test 10-Story Wooden Tower’s Ability to Withstand Earthquakes
Engineers are putting the finishing touches on a 10-story wood tower at UC San Diego’s outdoor earthquake simulator located in Scripps Ranch. When completed the building will undergo violent shaking to see how well tall timber structures can handle quakes and other natural disasters.