Thursday, March 17, 2022
2021 was a year of labor, supply chain, and pandemic-related disruptions, 2022 will be a year to gain new traction on the pressing issues shaping our approach to the built environment. In January 2022, Think Wood surveyed and presented the emerging trends in design and construction this year.
Sneak peak at the top five trends and projects leading the charge:
Low Carbon Construction
To lower a building’s carbon footprint, an increasing number of design teams are turning to timber because it is less carbon-intensive than other structural materials. Such is the case with Terra at 11 E Lenox Street, a 7-story, 34-unit multifamily project in Boston, MA, that combines the thermal benefits of mass timber construction and Passive House design to create an incredibly energy-efficient and low carbon building.
Affordable Housing
Boosting affordability with factory-built wood construction in the Greater Seattle area, design firms Mithun and Aspect Structural Engineers have been working with non-profit Forterra on the development of a Modular CLT Prototype for multifamily construction with planned deployment on sites across Western Washington and nationally. The prototype is comprised of three prefabricated modules to create a two-bedroom, one-bathroom unit measuring approximately 1,165 square feet.
Prefab + Modular Construction
Modular construction increases efficiency while reducing impact. A Brooklyn-based firm Garrison Architects turned to factory-built timber construction for their recently completed boutique hotel and spa,The Piaule Landscape Retreat, located on a remote 50-acre site in the Catskill Mountains in southeastern New York State.
Mass Timber
Mass timber is becoming mainstream is its wider adoption by an increasing number of influential Fortune 500 companies. Big brands are using mass timber to construct a growing number of corporate facilities. This includes retail giant Walmart whose new corporate campus is currently the largest mass timber corporate campus project under construction worldwide by square footage, and is set to use 1.7 million cubic feet of regionally-sourced lumber for the structures.
Hybrid Construction
The game changer for stadium design. The recently completed Idaho Central Credit Union Arena at the University of Idaho is one example of creative ingenuity with hybrid timber construction.
Tags: cross-laminated timber (CLT), mass timber, trends 2022, wood and panel, wood USA
