What is Cross Laminated Timber?
Developed in Europe in the 1990s, CLT technology is slowly gaining a foothold in North America as gains are made in fabrication. Cross laminated timber walls are constructed from small pieces of wood that have been joined together using glues, hardware, or wood joinery. Large planks of wood can also be used by butting them together into sheets that are then laminated at 90 degrees to each other. Typical panels consist of three, five or seven layers of dimensional boards. Using these methods, panels of almost any size can be created.
Where is it being used?
Wood and glue skyscrapers are on the rise, Popular Science
Engineered timber could be a boon to the Oregon wood products industry, The Register-Guard
Spreading like wildfire - why wooden skyscrapers are springing up across the world, CNN
New approach to sustainable building takes shape in Boston, MIT News
Mass timber primer, Canadian Architect
Mass Timber Educational Building, Metropolis
What is USU Forestry Extension's Role?
Outreach
- Darren McAvoy, Extension Sustainability Conference, Portland, Oregon 2016
- Darren McAvoy, Association of Natural Resource Professionals, Burlington, Vermont, 2016, Green Ribbon Awarded
Education
- Learn at Lunch Webinar: What is Interconnected Cross Laminated Timber? October 4, 2016
- Building fly-through at Utah Botanical Center, Kaysville, Utah
Publications
- Utah Forest News, Forest Service Grant Awarded, March 2015
Mass Timber Workshop 2019
Background: Twenty-four industry professionals attended Utah’s first Mass Timber Workshop on September 5, 2019 in Heber City, Utah. This workshop included presentations on mass timber from forest to frame, beginning with a discussion of sustainable forest management and the positive impact of regionally-sourced materials on Utah communities. It covered design topics related to codes and applications, fire resistance, and wind and seismic resilience, the use of wood in USU Botanical Center, and legislative efforts to further mass timber in the state. Attendees gained a top to bottom understanding of the status of mass timber in Utah and beyond, and left with the design knowledge needed to pursue a mass timber project. This workshop was sponsored by WoodWorks Wood Products Council.
