TallWood Design Institute (TDI), a collaboration between Oregon State University’s Colleges of Forestry and Engineering, and University of Oregon’s Architecture program, works to advance mass timber and alternative wood-based building solutions. Mass timber is a category of engineered wood products formed by binding together smaller wood components into larger structural elements. It serves as a more sustainable alternative to traditional construction materials like concrete and steel. Notably, Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), a wood product made from several layers of lumber bonded together, grew its reputation in Europe during the 1990’s as a key mass timber product.
Building upon its commitment to sustainability and innovation, TDI embarked on a pioneering project in 2017, spurred by a 2016 deconstruction ordinance. The City of Portland, Oregon implemented an ordinance mandating that houses built in 1940 or before be deconstructed, and the wood reused, instead of demolished and landfilled. This concept—a circular economy—aims to maximize the lifespan and utility of materials through upcycling and regeneration. Salvaged lumber from this ordinance motivated TDI to fund a project that explored using this waste wood as the feedstock for larger, mass timber elements (see Exploratory Study of Salvaged Lumber as Feedstock for Cross-Laminated Timber)
In essence, the objective was to upcycle the wood and give it more value. Various reclaimed boards underwent grading and structural assessment at OSU’s Department of Wood Science and Engineering. The final panels underwent tests to assess technical performance including structural testing and cyclic weathering tests designed to simulate the effects of various environmental conditions on materials over time.
According to TDI, though nearly all panels passed delamination criteria, only one panel comprised of 100% salvaged lumber panel passed all qualification criteria. The research indicates that reclaimed timber has good potential to emerge as a resource to produce mass timber items. This opens opportunities for the enhancement of wood waste recovery and the development of more sustainable building materials.
As of 2021, new building codes allow mass timber buildings to reach up to 18 stories. On the Oregon State Corvallis campus, there are currently two mass timber buildings, the AA Red Emmerson Advanced Wood Products Lab and the Peavey Forest Science Center. The Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex, which started construction in spring 2024, will soon be another mass timber building at OSU!
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