Three Pacific Northwest Universities to Share $1 Million Federal Grant to Research Mass Timber Innovations

Oregon Public Radio (OPB) reported Thursday (5-11-23) that The University of Oregon is partnering with Oregon State University, Washington State University, and more than 25 other organizations and agencies to research innovations in mass timber architecture, engineering, and construction in the region.

The National Science Foundation awarded the $1 million grant as part of its “Regional Innovation Engines Program”—a program created out of the CHIPS and Science Act under the Biden Administration aimed at kickstarting partnerships to benefit local economies and foster technological advancements in fields as varied as seismic safety and robotic fabrication, OPB says.

The new partnership hopes to look into how to grow the region’s mass timber ecosystem and explore how it can be used to increase the mass timber workforce, start and expand new businesses, and create affordable housing.

In an interview with OPB, University of Oregon architecture professor and principal investigator for the partnership Judith Sheine said, “We’re trying to address, holistically, a number of those big climate change and economic challenges.”

Sheine added that the team is working on a strategic plan to figure out the big gaps and challenges in the region’s mass timber industry and how to address them.