Friday, March 28, 2014

USDA announces high-rise wood design competition in partnership with Wood Works

Last week, the USDA announced they will be creating a wood construction training program and high-rise design competition in partnership with Wood Works and the Binational Softwood Lumber Council. Up to $1M will be allocated for the design competition.
The Secretary also announced plans to launch a new prize competition, expected to begin later this year, for developers, institutions, organizations and design teams competing to demonstrate the architectural and commercial viability of using sustainable wood products in high-rise construction. The Department is planning to invest up to $1 million to launch the competition. One non-profit partner, the Binational Softwood Lumber Council, has committed an additional $1 million for the competition. The competition will help spur increased sustainability in construction and will give priority to applicants that source materials from rural domestic manufacturers and domestic, sustainably-managed forests.
This announcement follows last year's Canadian support for timber high-rise construction, with the Canadian Wood Council and Natural Resources Canada offering a similar amount for innovative wood design showcase projects.

For more information, see the press release from the USDA.

On a related note, our committee member, Hans-Erik Blomgren from the White House for USDA Tall Wood Workshop. Presentations are here http://www.fs.fed.us/spf/coop/wood.shtml
 

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