Wednesday, November 22, 2023
The US Army Corps of Engineers has now mandated a policy that requires a “mass timber structural option be considered at the design phase in all of its vertical construction projects going forward.”
It is part of a push by the US Department of Defence to decarbonise, with the US Army’s primary engineer formation focused on the engineer regiment, military construction, and civil works. This means that the US Army will become the first military organisation in the world to embrace mass timber in both on-site installations and civilian housing projects.
It comes after Wood Central reported last month that a new US Department of Defence Resilient Building Policy will, for the first time, decide if and when sustainable materials and technology can used in military installations. Lt. Gen. Scott Spellman, 55th chief of engineers and commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, discusses the role that the US Army Corps of Engineers.
The new policy applies to all new projects starting from 2027, including “cross-laminated timber (CLT), glue-laminated timber (Glulam or GLT), dowel-laminated timber (DLT), nail-laminated timber (NLT), and laminated veneer lumber (LVL).”
It represents a significant milestone for low-carbon construction materials, with the market for MILCON (the US Military Construction Program) enormous.
In September, US Congress approved more than US $16.674 billion in MILCON spending – split between military construction ($14.73b) and family housing ($1.94b), with more than US $1.47B in spending allocated for the US Army Corps of Engineers. Wood Central understands the US Army is already using low-carbon concrete and mass timber to develop three new projects, including two bases at Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington and a total retrofit of the Fort Liberty barracks.
However, the policy acknowledges that mass timber will not be considered in low-rise military installations, for example, less than three levels, with cost and supply amongst key considerations.
“Initial costs will likely be the determining factor, and in certain CONUS (a US Department of Defence term to identify the states of USA) regions, mass timber may not be widely competitive at this time.”
It comes as the US Army Corps of Engineers R&D Centre, known as the ERDC, spent almost 20 years researching the use of mass timber and CLT in military construction.
Source: Wood Central
Read more news on: Mass Timber
Tags: mass timber, wood construction, woodworking industry, woodworking USA
