Wood Archives - Building and Construction Technology

In Memoriam: John W. Olver

March 9, 2023March 7, 2023 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

The John W. Olver Design Building - BCT's home on the Amherst campus - is not just another campus building. The beauty and warmth of the timber structure, and its environmental footprint that treads lightly, represents a visionary approach to contemporary building design in that it integrally respects the responsibility we have towards the earth we live on. None of this would have been possible without the support and environmental consciousness of Congressman John Olver, who was the prime reason that the Olver Design Building was built with Mass Timber, the only naturally renewable building material. John attended a presentation by Peggi Clouston in 2014 about Mass Timber which led to several more meetings and ultimately a meeting of the minds where our technical background combined with John’s long term efforts to support forest health, sustainable construction, and rural economies. Our conversations ultimately led to the idea of creating a timber demonstration structure which would support the UMass Amherst climate action plan and...

MoMA Panel Discussion on Mass Timber with Prof. Clouston Now Available

May 20, 2022May 19, 2022 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

A presentation and panel discussion on "Material Worlds: Mass Timber" was organized by the Museum of Moden Art in New York on Dec 14, 2021 and included BCT Prof. Peggi Clouston. From the MoMA website: Wood construction is ancient, and surprisingly more relevant than ever before. The United Nations predicts that nearly one Manhattan worth of floor area will be built every two weeks globally over the next 40 years (GlobalABC, IEA, and UNEP 2018). Since the built environment is responsible for almost half of global carbon emissions, it is essential that we redesign what these cities are made of. Mass timber laminates small pieces of wood into scalable structural elements that have strength comparable to concrete and steel, enabling urban density, a key component in a low-carbon way of life. It has the potential to be more renewable and carbon-sequestering than any other structural material in existence. But questions remain. Who has access to healthy building materials like this? Are there enough...

Tedd Benson speaks about a better way to build in the 21st Century

November 11, 2020September 25, 2022 by . BCT . Comment Closed

Tedd, founder of Bensonwood (1973) and Unity Homes (2012), has devoted his life to developing a better way to build. A key figure in the revival of timber framing in America, he was one of the founders of the Timber Framers Guild of North America (1984) and authored four books on the subject. Through the decades, Bensonwood established itself as a creative leader in timber frame design, engineering, craftsmanship, and CAD- CAM technology. This work has taken the company to nearly every state in the U.S. (Oklahoma is a holdout), as well as Canada, England and Japan. After having spent many years with the Bensonwood team developing processes, systems, logistics, and technology, Tedd went on to found Unity Homes, now a sister company, with the objective to make high performance homes affordable and normal. Today, Bensonwood continues to lead the industry, pioneering the use of Mass Timber and CLT’s in buildings large and small, and collaborating on innovative projects to...

Washington Post Article on MassTimber Features the Olver Design Building and BCT’s Research

December 12, 2019 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

Today, the Washington Post published an article about the rise of MassTimber buildings (which are predominantly made using glulam and cross-laminated timber). The article featured exemplary projects throughout the country with the John W. Olver Design Building at UMass as a prominent example. BCT's research into Eastern Hemlock CLT is being described in the article through interviews with Prof. Peggi Clouston and Conrado Araujo, a BCT undergrad student who has been involved in this research for the past year. Forget the log cabin. Wood buildings are climbing skyward — with pluses for the planet – Washington Post (12/12/2019)...

Remembering R. Bruce Hoadley (1933-2019)

December 2, 2019December 9, 2022 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

This fall we lost one of the most prolific former faculty in our program. R. Bruce Hoadley was a professor in the BCT program at a time when it was called "Building Materials and Wood Technology" (BMATWT). He led our program for many years as director, conducted research in wood products, and inspired many generations of students. Bruce's role in the wood community cannot be overstated. His books on wood identification and properties have become standard literature in the woodworking and wood processing communities and he has been a sought-after expert in this field. Faculty and alumni in BCT/BMATWT remember Bruce and the many conversations we had about wood and higher education very fondly. He will be missed. See below for his official obituary and links to commemorative websites. Please consider giving to the R. Bruce Hoadley Building Construction & Technology Fund, which benefits our students that pursue a career in wood technology. Obituary R. Bruce Hoadley, husband, father, and a Professor Emeritus of Wood...