More than $16 million in federal funds are on their way to the University of Oregon and $8 million to Oregon State University researchers after the Mass Lumber Coalition of Oregon was named a grant recipient in the historic regional Build Back Better challenge.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration today announced that the coalition received a total of $41.4 millionwith $24.6 million going to TallWood Design Institutea collaboration between UO and OSU to support Oregon’s hardwood industry.
Of the funds, $14.6 million will go to the Oregon Acoustical Research Laboratory and $2.0 million is for prototyping affordable housing using mass timber: an application that uses pre-engineered mass timber panels to using digital workflows. Both programs are part of the design college and contribute to the institute.
“The UO and OSU, through the TallWood Design Institute, have played a vital role in the development of the modern mass timber industry in Oregon through our research and development,” said the UO professor of architecture. Judith Shein, design director of the institute. “Combined with funding that will support Smart Forestry Research, a new fire test facility and modular hardwood housing trials at OSU, as well as the UO Acoustics Research Lab and housing prototypes affordable and renovations, we will continue to advance our R&D work in the future to provide benefits to Oregonians.
The Oregon Mass Timber Coalition, in addition to the UO and OSU, includes the Port of Portland, Business Oregon, the Oregon Department of Conservation and Land Development, and the Oregon Forestry Department. Oregon.
“This grant will provide a tremendous boost to the TallWood Design Institute, which already relies on the expertise and collaboration of researchers at the University of Oregon and Oregon State University,” said Patrick Phillips, acting president of the UO. “It will also benefit the entire state of Oregon, driving innovation and helping to increase our housing supply in a sustainable way.”
Source: University of Oregon
