Auburn Faculty Host Third National Mass Timber Workshop

The third Timber Architecture Design Faculty Development Workshop trained educators on best practices for incorporating mass timber into courses and curricula. Sponsored by the Softwood Lumber Board (SLB), based in Oregon City, Ore., the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, the workshop provides architecture faculty with a holistic understanding of mass timber to enhance the design possibilities of the material through practice and creative explorations of design possibilities.

The AMTC, which is composed of researchers in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction (CADC), College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment (CFWE) and the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering (SGCE) welcomed 25 academics from across the country to the CADC Research Commons at the end of May for talks and tours.

“It’s a crash course in how to teach mass timber,” said Tom Chung, Professor of Practice in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (APLA).

Chung led the initial presentations, sharing the essentials of mass timber in education and practice. Using expertise he gained as a Principal of Boston-based studio Leers Weinzapfel Associates (LWA), Chung emphasized mass timber’s sustainability, prefabrication, construction and biophilic opportunities.

Jake Elbrecht, Visiting Assistant Research Professor in the McWhorter School of Building Science (BSCI), walked the group through the basics of embodied carbon and life cycle analysis, explaining how mass timber can improve the overall environmental impact of a construction project.

Diving into the structural considerations and scientific implications of mass timber, Dr. David Roueche, SGCE Gottleib Associate Professor, shared some essentials of wood engineering, while Dr. Brian Via, CFWE Regions Professor and Director of the Forest Products Development Center, explained mass timber’s cellular structure and key concepts of sustainable forestry.

Finally, guest speaker Nathaniel Hardy, a Birmingham-based structural engineer with Seattle-headquartered KPFF Consulting Engineers, presented examples of mass timber engineering paired with Chung’s key architectural precedents.

After a day in the classroom, the group toured the recently completed KPNC Environmental Education Building at the Kreher Preserve, designed by Chung and a local example of sustainable construction materials and methods.

The following two days were a whirlwind of tours and demonstrations with a trip to the West Fraser Sawmill in Opelika and a visit to an active forestry operation site. The group also headed to Rural Studio in Newbern, Ala., for presentations by Wiatt Professor and Rural Studio Director Andrew Freear and Associate Professor and Extension Specialist Emily McGlohn.

Following a tour of the Wiregrass Innovation Center, an under-construction agricultural innovation hub, and cross-laminated timber (CLT) factory SmartLam, both in Dothan, Ala., the group ended the workshop in Atlanta, Ga. They toured Ponce City Market, to see the CLT building’s recently completed, innovative floor assembly and The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Tech for a diverse portfolio of mass timber used in the building, including nail-laminated timber decking, glulam beams and columns and salvaged wood stair treads. 

“The workshop isn’t about just head knowledge,” Chung said. “It’s valuable information about the life cycle of mass timber complemented with direct, hands-on experience.”