How are we using cross-laminated timber?

In a state that is covered over 50% with forests, Oregon embraces natural resources around the state in addition to a sustainable lifestyle, especially when it comes to expanding communities. What does this mean exactly? Well as one of the fastest growing cities in America, Portland is breaking ground on new buildings and skyscrapers each year, but doing so in a way that is much different from most cities.

A four-story building designed by Lever Architecture named Albina Yard, is currently under construction in the heart of Portland, utilizes mass timber construction with a glue-laminated timber frame and Cross-laminated Timber (CLT) panels manufactured and prefabricated in Timber from Riddle, Oregon. “The idea that you can leverage local resources to really drive economic development is really important,” said project architect, Thomas Robinson.

Cross-laminated timber is a wood panel typically consisting of three, five, or seven layers of dimension lumber oriented at right angles to one another and then glued to form structural panels with exceptional strength, dimensional stability, and rigidity.

The cross laminated timber used for Albina Yard is manufactured just a few hours south of Portland by a company named D.R. Johnson Lumber, the first cross-laminated timber provider in the U.S. With the success of Albina Yard, a new skyscraper named Framework is planned for Portland and will be 12 stories in total.

Learn more about the innovation with CLT in this short segment of America’s Forests.