Winning teams to receive up to $500,000 for designs that showcase mass timber’s application, commercial viability, and role as a natural climate solution
Eligible project teams may now submit proposals for the Mass Timber Competition: Building to Net-Zero Carbon, funded by the Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) and USDA Forest Service (USDA) for the purpose of advancing low-carbon mass timber construction in the United States. The competition will award funds totaling $2 million to support projects that demonstrate mass timber’s application across select building types and ability to aggressively reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment. The competition entry deadline is March 30, 2022, and results will be announced in June 2022 at the AIA Conference on Architecture.
Lessons learned from the competition will be shared with the broader design and construction community to help support future projects, including cost analyses, life cycle assessments, and other research results. Eligible building types include commercial, institutional, industrial, educational, mixed-use, and multifamily housing developments.
Eligible applicants include for-profit building organizations registered in the U.S. including architects, engineers, developers, general contractors, and building owners; not-for-profit organizations incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation or society formed in the U.S. such as colleges, universities, and associations; U.S. local governments; and Native American tribal governments and organizations.
Timber sourced for the project should demonstrate sustainable forest management that contributes to forest and watershed health. Several approaches are used to ensure sustainable supply of wood products, including federal, state, and local regulations, best management practices, third-party certifications, and an emerging ASTM standard. Preference will also be provided for projects that commit to using domestically harvested and manufactured mass timber.
WoodWorks, a non-profit staffed with structural engineers, architects, and construction experts, will manage all aspects of the competition including project evaluation by an independent judging committee of industry peers. A judging panel including representation from architecture, engineering, construction, development, forestry, and sustainability will be named at the end of the entry period.
To learn more about the Mass Timber Competition: Building to Net-Zero Carbon and to download the request for proposals, visit http://www.softwoodlumberboard.org/net-zero.
About the Softwood Lumber Board
The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) is an industry-funded initiative established to promote the uses as well as the environmental and economic benefits of softwood lumber products. Programs and initiatives supported by the SLB, including American Wood Council, Think Wood, and WoodWorks, focus on increasing the demand for lumber products in the United States. For more information, visit www.softwoodlumberboard.org.
About the USDA Forest Service
The USDA Forest Service has brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation for more than 100 years. Grounded in world-class science and rooted in communities, the Forest Service connects people with nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality; 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. The Forest Service also maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world and assists state and private landowners, helping to steward about 900 million forested acres in the U.S., including 130 million acres in urban areas, which most Americans now call home.
About WoodWorks
WoodWorks – Wood Products Council provides education and free technical support related to the design, engineering, and construction of commercial and multi-family wood buildings in the U.S. A non-profit staffed with structural engineers, architects, and construction experts, WoodWorks has the expertise to assist with all aspects of wood building design. For assistance with a project, visit www.woodworks.org/project-assistance or email help@woodworks.org.
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