Working in conjunction with the Santa Monica, California-based real estate firm Redcar Properties and Portland, Oregon-based architecture and design firm Lever Construction, Boston-based Shawmut Design and Construction is constructing a 75-foot-tall, 125,000 square-foot mixed-use office building in Los Angeles using cross-laminated timber.
News in offsite construction
Segezha Group Announces Plans to Build Second Glued Laminated Timber Plant in Karelia, Russia
The Segezha Group has announced it plans to build a glued laminated timber plant in Segeza, Republic of Karelia, Russia. The new plant will be located next to the Group’s primary asset in the Republic of Karelia, Segezha Pulp and Paper Mill JSC. The new facility will join the Sokol Woodworking Plant JSC, which is currently the only Segezha Group facility manufacturing glued laminated timber.
Minster of Forestry Urges Builders to “Think Timber” in the Construction of Ireland’s Homes
The Republic of Ireland’s Senator Pippa Hackett, the Minister of State with responsibility for Forestry, wants to see timber playing a ‘big part’ in the future of construction of Ireland’s homes. The senator made the comments as she launched a series of statements by the National Council for Forest Research and Development (COFORD).
Google Using British Columbia Knowhow to Build First Mass-Timber Office in Sunnyvale, California
Google, the global technology giant, has engaged Vancouver, British Columbia-based Michael Green Architecture to serve as the lead designer on their first ever mass-timber office in Sunnyvale, California. The five-story, 182,000 square-foot-facility is scheduled for completion in 2022.
British Columbia’s Tall Wood Initiative Expands to 21 Communities
British Columbia’s tall wood initiative, which permits mass timber residential and commercial development up to 12 stories, is expanding with 21 communities now participating. The City of New Westminster is the latest to join the growing list of B.C. municipalities.
Colorado Based Timber Age Systems Inc. Expands Manufacturing of Recycled Low-Cost Wood Building Products
Timber Age Systems Inc., a Durango, Colorado based company that specializes in making cross-laminated timber (CLT) for sustainable building projects, has announced its plans to expand its manufacturing capacity and develop a new facility after receiving a grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity Program.
Hemp: Next New Option in Building Components
Blain Brownell, FAIA, is an architect and materials researcher. He is also the Director of the School of Architecture at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. According to an article published in Architect Magazine, Brownell’s research has helped him identify another building product, which he believes has the potential of revolutionizing and replacing concrete, steel, and even wood in some, not all, structural building components. The fourth building option is Hemp.
World’s Tallest Hybrid Timber Tower Plans Approved
The 39-story Sydney Tower, billed as the world’s tallest hybrid timber tower when it was first unveiled in 2020, has been approved. The Shop Architects and BVN’s $1 billion (A$) will be the new home of Atlassian, the Australian tech company. The tower adjoins Sydney’s Central Station and it is intended to be a linchpin of the state government’s planned technology precinct.
The U.K. Government to Promote the Use of Timber in Low-Rise Construction
The United Kingdom’s government yesterday (10-20-21) released its 368-page “Net Zero Strategy Report.” In the report, the government acknowledges that “felled trees store carbon within them and timber has the lowest carbon of any mainstream building material.” The report goes on to say the UK government would “promote the safe use of timber construction” through several measures.
Intelligent City Opens First Robotically Automated Urban Housing Factory
“We are now the first in the world to use advanced robotics to automatically assemble mass timber building systems that have been tested to meet the latest building code and net zero standards,” Intelligent City Co-Founder Oliver Lang says. The company is currently working on project totaling 2880 homes in Canada and 1400 homes in the U.S., many of which are supported by BC Wood.