The newest building at the University of Washington (UW) could represent a significant step forward in sustainability and reducing greenhouse gas emissions for the Seattle campus. Acclaimed in a Puget Sound Business Journal article as “one of the greenest buildings on campus” and lauded in a UW blog as a “genuine showpiece on the University of Washington campus,” Founders Hall … Read More
Growing schools
Mass timber could help meet the needs of Washington’s public schools and the state’s increasing population, according to a report conducted by Mahlum Architects. Mahlum recently released a study that found that K–12 schools made from mass timber and other wood products offered numerous benefits for students, communities, taxpayers and the environment. The report found that school buildings primarily constructed … Read More
National Forest Products Week reminds us that wood is good for the environment
Every third week of October, the United States celebrates National Forest Products Week. Forest Products Week provides an opportunity for us all to recognize our nation’s forestry sector and reflect on how working forests benefit our economy, the environment and quality of life. The forestry sector is special because it provides numerous essential products made from a sustainably sourced, renewable … Read More
Darrington Wood Innovation Center awarded $6M federal grant
Plans to build a $73 million, 100-acre timber facility dedicated to supporting the creation of new wood products in rural Snohomish County received a significant boost from the federal government. The US Economic Development Administration (EDA), a bureau within the US Department of Commerce, announced a $6 million grant in support of the planned Darrington Wood Innovation Center. The Wood … Read More
2020 Year in Review: Five headlines underscore the importance of working forests
The Forestry sector can help address climate change: Sustainably managed working forests and the forestry sector as a whole is an important part of the state’s response to climate change, according to Washington state lawmakers, state agencies and 48 nationally recognized environmental and business leaders. During the 2020 legislative session, the Washington State Legislature passed and Gov. Jay Inslee signed … Read More
Researchers, architects look to wood for a sustainable, innovative future
Top: Image courtesy of B+H Architects. Bottom: UW–Madison engineers and collaborators have constructed a functional microwave amplifier circuit — a common piece of electronics used in wireless communications — on a flexible substrate made of wood fiber. Image by Huilong Zhang. Transparent wood, electronic components made from trees, and the City of Seattle’s most traveled bridge made from innovative … Read More
Darrington Wood Innovation Center could bring jobs, economic opportunity
Cutting-edge timber products may soon be synonymous with a community in north Snohomish County. The Town of Darrington announced last month plans to develop the Darrington Wood Innovation Center, a state-of-the-art commercial campus that aims to house and attract new wood fiber-based materials and manufacturing companies. The planned 100-acre Wood Innovation Center campus in northeast Darrington is made possible with … Read More
Wood products could turn urban areas into carbon sinks
Urban centers made primarily of sustainable, renewable wood products could be key to mitigating climate change and even function as carbon sinks, and Washington state and its working forests are helping to lead the charge. Vox recently reported that wood has become “the hottest new thing in sustainable building” and points to Washington state as a forerunner of mass timber … Read More
A wooden city featured at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show?
Futuristic innovations and the latest cool gadgets are what people expect to see at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. But Toyota Motor Company and Danish architecture firm, Bjarke Ingels Group, garnered media attention this week when they unveiled plans for a prototype town that would be built at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan called … Read More
Embracing wood in design and construction
Port Angeles arts enthusiasts last month celebrated the groundbreaking of Field Hall – a premier arts and culture venue that is scheduled to open in 2021 and will serve as home to area arts organizations like the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra, Port Angeles Community Players and Port Angeles Fine Arts Center. Throughout the design process, Field Hall supporters envisioned creating … Read More
Environmentalists, loggers, policymakers say CLT a part of the response to climate change
Washington’s modern timber industry and early adoption of tall wood buildings have helped the state lead the nation in incorporating innovative wood products into the environmental stewardship movement. The recent opening of two mass timber factories in Colville and Spokane Valley underscores this. Working forests and all wood products continue to be a part of the carbon solution as trees … Read More
Working forests, timber products provide a solution to reducing greenhouse gases
More people are recognizing the important role the forestry and timber industries play in addressing global warming concerns and improving air quality. It’s well known that trees sequester carbon dioxide gas and release oxygen into the air and that in working forests the process of planting, harvesting and replanting trees effectively removes and stores the earth-warming CO2 gas from our … Read More
Future cities of innovation will require timber
Cities of the future will rely on innovative products generated by the timber industry, according to Sidewalk Labs, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet Inc. Sidewalks Labs unveiled Sidewalk Toronto – an ambitious plan that aims to transform a portion of the eastern waterfront (12 acres) within the major Canadian city into a global model for sustainable, inclusive and inventive … Read More
Legislature Connects Dots Between Rural Economic Development, Environmental Outcomes
The environmental headlines of this past legislative session have focused on two big topics: orca whales and carbon emissions. The 2019 Legislature passed numerous high-profile bills to address these two seemingly disparate issues. E3SHB 1324 progressed well below the radar yet manages to marry both issues in a package that also helps secure Washington’s most extensive rural manufacturing base for … Read More