Construction is underway on a new mass timber dining and operations center project on a 900-acre property at the University of Toronto’s Koffler Scientific Reserve, according to Daily Commercial News (2-21-23). The new center will include bunk rooms, classrooms and meeting space, and a common kitchen area.
News in offsite construction
Sumitomo Forestry Co. Establishes Joint Venture for Full-Scale Entry Into UK Real Estate Market
Tokyo-based Sumitomo Forestry Co. announced on February 1st that it has jointly established three companies—Bywater SFC Holdings, Bywater SFC Management, and Bywater SFC Investments (collectively Bywater SFC)—with British real estate developer Bywater properties.
Hasslacher Group Acquires 40% Stake in Egoin Wood Group
Hasslacher Group announced earlier in the week that it has acquired a 40% stake in Egoin Wood Group. Based in Spain, the Egoin Wood Group is an international timber industry company with a total production capacity of 22,000 m3 engineered timber products.
Portland, Oregon, Completes Its First Mass Timber Affordable Housing Project
Designed by All Hands Architecture and billed as a “deeply affordable” by its developers, Chiles House in Portland is considered the first completed mass timber affordable housing in Oregon. The building’s 27 units provide transitional housing.
Another Mass Timber Apartment Tower Planned for Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is already the home of the world’s tallest mass timber structure. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Ascent could soon be joined by another equally tall, or perhaps taller, mass timber building in downtown Milwaukee.
US Forest Service Accepting Applications for Wood Innovations Projects
The US Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service has announced that it has begun accepting applications for the Wood Innovations Grant and Community Wood Grant programs. Totaling $41 million, the grant programs are intended to spark innovations and create new markets for wood products and renewable energy.
Denver Prepares for the Construction of “Return to Form,” Winner of the 2022 Mass Timber Competition
Colorado-based architecture firm Tres Birds has confirmed that construction on the city’s tallest mass timber building will commence in July 2023, according to the Construction Specifier magazine. The project was one of six winners in the Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) and USDA Forest Service 2022 Mass Timber Competition: Building to Net-zero.
Report Highlights the Benefits of Building Schools Out of Wood
A recent report, “Wood Use in British Columbia Schools,” authored by BC-based architecture firm thinkspace and structural engineering firm Fast + Epp finds that BC schools have increasingly featured a more innovative, eco-friendly, and flexible designs.
Holmen Announces Investment in Its Bygdsiljum, Sweden, Sawmill to Increase CLT Production
Sweden’s Holmen announced on Tuesday (1-31-23) that it was planning an extension and investment at its Bygdsiljum Sawmill, which will help remove bottlenecks at the facility and increase CLT production.
Construction of Six-Story Mass Timber Student Housing Project at University of Fraser Valley’s Abbotsford, BC, Campus to Get Underway
Turner Construction Co. and Clark Builders have been appointed by University of Fraser Valley to build a 398-bed student housing community on its Abbotsford, BC, Canada campus. Originally announced in May 2022, the $73.7 million (CAD) project will triple the campus’ number of beds.