News in offsite construction

Segezha Group, which is wholly owned by Sistema, is Russia’s leading wood processing holding company, and it has just started Russia’s first cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels plant in Sokol, Vologda region, 500 km northeast of Moscow.

The $100 million (A$) student accommodation project at La Trobe University, Bundoora campus, in north-east Melbourne Australia has been completed. The project, with 624-beds across two separate six-level buildings, marks the largest single investment in La Trobe University’s 50-year history.

Construction has officially begun on the BullStreet District’s 79,000 sq. ft. WestLawn office building in downtown Columbia South Carolina. The five-story office building was designed by globally renowned architectural firm Perkins and Will in collaboration with Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC.

Södra has announced that it is investing in a new facility that will increase its production capacity of timber frame ten-fold. The new facility is being built at their combined facility in Värö, Sweden, where Södra’s first CLT facility is located.

Working in partnership with the Technical University of Munich, Stora Enso Wood Products has launched a whitepaper showcasing the science behind the health and well-being benefits of building with timber. The in-depth literature review highlights such points as wood’s ability to reduce stress and boost productivity levels.

The first commercial office building made of mass timber in Washington D.C. will be leased to the American Trucking Association (ATA). The 80 M Street project was commissioned by Columbia Property Trust and designed by architecture firm Hickok Cole. The project will add 105,000 square feet and two new floors to an existing seven-story office building at 80 M Street.

The Canadian government has announced that it is investing $1.48 million (CAD) to help in the construction of two schools built with mass timber that will be more resistant to earthquakes. The funding comes from the Department of Natural Resources under a program that encourages the use of wood in innovative construction projects such as tall wood buildings, low-rise nonresidential buildings, and bridges.

Developer The Wolff Co. has partnered with the technology-driven construction firm Katerra to design and build a two-building, five-story project, which is among the first developments in the country to use cross-laminated timber (CLT), or large-scale, prefabricated, solid engineered wood panels, for the floor and ceiling assemblies.

The Minister of Digital Government has announced a grant of $648,250, provided through Natural Resources, Canada’s Green Construction through Wood program, for Fast + Epp, a structural engineering firm from Vancouver, toward the construction of their head office.

In Europe, the demand for wind power is steadily increasing. As a result, turbines to meet that growing demand are getting larger and larger. This in turn has created some logistical issues. To help solve those logistical issues, a small Swedish startup company, Modvion, that specializes in turbines made from laminated-veneer lumber (LVL) has entered the marketplace.