News in offsite construction

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.

A milestone partnership has been announced between Cree Building Systems, an Austria-based company, and Walbridge, a Detroit-based global construction company. The two companies discovered their processes to be very like-minded as both are very methodical in their approach.

As Scotland works towards achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2045, their woodlands and forestry sector will be playing a key role in their ability to achieve that goal. Scotland’s woodlands and forests have gown in land cover from 5% at the start of the 20th century to 19% today.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is reporting that Katerra, a modular prefabrication and timber innovations company was saved from bankruptcy on December 30th, 2020, by Japanese investment giant Softbank with an infusion of $ 200 million in cash.