Advancing wood-focused instruction in higher education is central to growing long-term demand for softwood lumber. SLB Education is building faculty capacity nationwide, equipping educators with the knowledge, incentives, and resources to bring wood to the forefront of their studios and labs. The impact compounds: One professor can teach hundreds of students over a career. Since 2021, SLB Education has hosted 12 faculty development workshops at leading universities, engaging 250 faculty from 186 programs across 47 states.

Highly engaged educators are surveyed annually to measure the impact of SLB Education’s workshops and resources. The results are encouraging: Approximately 80% report integrating new wood-focused content within 12 months of engagement, and on average, each faculty member teaches 29 emerging professionals annually. This approach provides a quantifiable view of how awareness becomes adoption, turning one-time investment into ongoing impact across architecture, engineering, and construction management programs. 

The SLB recently surveyed investors to map existing campus partnerships and identify where coordination can amplify impact—informing priorities, sharpening joint outreach, and connecting investors, manufacturers, schools, and resources more effectively. One example: an SLB-sponsored design-build studio at North Carolina State University, where two faculty led 15 architecture students in creating
The Floating Grove—a CLT-and-glulam outdoor classroom and the school’s first
mass timber structure. Students gained hands-on experience in design, fabrication, and erection—closing the gap between classroom learning and jobsite readiness.

EDUCATION FEATURE

From Classroom to Construction:
How Faculty Shape Wood Construction

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Photo Credit: Breyden Anderson

Over five days in September, students camped, collaborated, and created large-scale, interactive wood installations on the grounds of the historic Woodstock music festival.
As premier sponsor of BuildFest 2, part of the Bethel Woods Art & Architecture Festival 2025, SLB Education continued its support for experiential design education that puts lumber top of mind. This year’s event drew 160 students and faculty from 15 universities, up from 120 participants across 10 schools last year.

Teams from University of California, Los Angeles, to Cornell University explored experimental fabrication, structural systems, and storytelling through lumber.
The design-build experience gave participants direct, hands-on exposure to the performance, sustainability, and creative potential of the material.

By connecting emerging designers with wood at this stage in their careers, SLB Education and Think Wood, the public face of the SLB’s student engagement, are helping to ensure the next generation of architects and engineers enter practice confident in specifying lumber, driving long-term growth for the industry.

EDUCATION FEATURE

BuildFest 2 Provides Hands-On Wood
Design Experience

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Resurgence | School of the Art Institute of Chicago

The next wave of architects and engineers will define what materials shape our cities—and the SLB is ensuring lumber is front of mind from day one. That mission drives Timber in the City: Urban Habitats, now launching its sixth cycle in partnership with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA).

The national design competition is one of SLB Education’s most effective platforms for influencing future architects and engineers. Over five cycles and 10 years, nearly 3,500 students from 95 universities—covering two-thirds of all accredited architecture programs in North America—have participated. Each brief challenges students to rethink urban housing, resilience, and sustainability, placing lumber at the center of practical, real-world design.

Student competitions are part of a broader SLB strategy grounded in one key insight: The greatest leverage point for market growth is upstream of practice. By reaching students and faculty early, SLB Education ensures that wood’s versatility, sustainability, and economic value are embedded into tomorrow’s design thinking.

While other material industries have long invested in the classroom, the SLB ensures wood not only keeps pace but also leads with innovation. Through programs like Timber in the City, the SLB is shaping informed, wood-savvy professionals—expanding awareness today to drive market growth tomorrow.

EDUCATION FEATURE

Investing Now in Future Wood Champions

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A1550 Soldier’s Field Road | Icon Architecture | Photo Credit:Dellbrook|JKS

With rising demand for efficient mid-rise construction, WoodWorks is equipping architects, engineers, and contractors with the skills to design larger and taller light-frame wood buildings. Its education program meets professionals where they are—from architects accustomed to steel or concrete to engineers tackling advanced
6-over-2 projects.

August’s light-frame webinar attracted nearly 1,800 practitioners, underscoring strong industry interest in foundational design content such as fire and acoustic performance. Regional Directors are also providing one-on-one technical support to help project teams confidently choose light-frame construction for larger buildings.

Recent successes include retaining light-frame as an option over steel for a 400,000-square-foot 5-over-3 project by addressing shrinkage concerns; resolving fire-resistance challenges on an 18-building, 360,000-square-foot development; and supporting a 191,000-square-foot hybrid project that combines light-frame and
mass timber.

By offering both broad education and project-specific expertise, WoodWorks is accelerating light-frame adoption across experience levels—helping AEC+D professionals overcome technical barriers, meet code, and expand use in multifamily and mixed-use construction.

WOODWORKS FEATURE

Light-Frame Education Helps
Professionals at Every Stage

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Janicki Industries Building 10 | Carletti Architects |
Photo Credits: Vaagen Media

WoodWorks is positioning wood as a viable, scalable solution for warehouses, distribution centers, and data centers—segments that represent significant future opportunity for incremental lumber demand.

Boosted by the boom in e-commerce, the warehouse segment represents nearly 180 MM BF in potential annual volume even with just 5% market share for wood, but that can scale much higher with more penetration: 552 MM BF at 13% market share and a ceiling of 3.5 BBF. Driven by the exponential growth in demand for generative AI, data center construction is projected to grow 22% in 2025 and another 15% in 2026.

Wood’s environmental credentials make it a strong fit for these segments. Microsoft, for example, announced it would build its first mass timber data centers in Northern Virginia to slash its use of steel and concrete, both significant sources of carbon emissions. In a blog post making the business case for low-carbon building materials, Greg Bauer, Managing Director and Global Head of Development Management for Prologis, the world’s largest industrial real estate company, writes: “Mass timber is more sustainable and resilient, offering natural insulation and biophilic benefits, and it’s increasingly cost-competitive, making it a viable alternative for modern industrial design.”

Since touring the world’s first mass timber data center in Sweden, WoodWorks has been studying the metrics and potential of the data center market, building code compliance issues, drivers for wood solutions, and the challenges builders face. WoodWorks is now supporting multiple data center projects in the United States. Some projects have begun incorporating mass timber, starting with the administrative buildings on data center campuses.

Industrial design teams increasingly turn to WoodWorks for guidance on mass timber wall panels, hybrid systems, and shear wall design. For developers, WoodWorks extends support beyond engineering, helping shape internal standards, providing data on cost and performance, and building confidence in wood’s advantages. As a trusted adviser to several companies exploring wood solutions nationwide, WoodWorks is laying the groundwork for broader industrial adoption—positioning lumber for growth as warehouse and data center construction gains momentum nationwide.

WOODWORKS FEATURE

WoodWorks Accelerates Wood Use
in Data Centers and Warehouses

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With support from the USDA Forest Service and WoodWorks, this house plan designed with prefabricated CLT panels has been preapproved for fast construction and is available for free to Maui Wildfire property owners.
Hale Nui Lāʻau | Rendering Credit: Hawaiian Council

As communities face more frequent natural disasters and rising demand for rapid
and resilient housing, wood construction—especially light-frame and prefabricated systems—offers a proven path forward. Lumber is renewable, cost-effective, and easily adaptable for modular fabrication, making it ideally suited for both emergency response and long-term rebuilding.

In partnership with the USDA Forest Service, WoodWorks is leading efforts to expand wood’s use in post-disaster and modular building applications. This work includes developing technical guidance on termite protection, supporting modular design education, and coordinating with local leaders in Maui, Hawaii, where rebuilding efforts after the 2023 fires are ongoing.

WoodWorks continues to advance modular and prefabricated innovation nationwide to help design teams overcome code and fire-resistance barriers to scale multifamily modular design. 

By combining speed, strength, and sustainability, wood-based modular systems are redefining how communities rebuild—positioning lumber as a leading solution for both disaster recovery and resilient urban growth.

WOODWORKS FEATURE

Advancing Wood’s Role in Post-Disaster
and Modular Buildings

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As the United States faces a shortage of 7.1 million affordable housing units, wood construction is emerging as a powerful solution. Think Wood’s new Attainable Housing LookBook showcases how both light-frame and mass timber systems can help close this gap—offering developers faster build times, lower costs, and the biophilic benefits that enhance resident well-being.

The LookBook profiles seven attainable housing projects that demonstrate how wood can deliver dignified, community-centered, and sustainable design. It also curates additional design and construction resources from Think Wood and WoodWorks, providing architects, engineers, and builders with practical guidance for scaling attainable housing across North America.

Aligned with the SLB’s “From Niche to Mainstream” strategic plan, the LookBook supports one of the industry’s highest-growth opportunities: multifamily 1 to 8- story projects, representing 977 MM BF in potential annual demand. By showcasing wood’s value—cost-efficiency, constructability, and sustainability—the LookBook addresses a national housing need advancing long-term demand for lumber.

THINK WOOD FEATURE

Attainable Housing LookBook Advances Lumber Use in High-Growth Segment

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Aro Homes | Olson Kundig |
Photo Credit: Matthew Millman

In the single-family segment, Think Wood’s residential resources play a key role in protecting and growing demand for softwood lumber while extending wood’s influence into broader sectors. Case studies and design stories help builders, architects, and developers visualize lumber’s potential beyond framing and decking, reinforcing its versatility across both residential and commercial projects.

Recent features showcase the breadth of these applications. A prefab light-frame model by Olson Kundig for tech startup Aro Homes shows how factory-based construction can shorten timelines and reduce embodied carbon. A profile of nArchitects’ CLT House highlights innovative cross-laminated timber use and the beauty of exposed wood, while a feature on five wooden waterfront homes inspires builders to elevate visual appeal with natural materials.

These stories don’t just engage design audiences—they deliver measurable results. In a recent survey, 72% of highly engaged Think Wood users said the platform increased their likelihood of specifying wood, a double-digit gain over last year. By creating compelling content, Think Wood continues to drive awareness, adoption, and long-term market growth for lumber.

THINK WOOD FEATURE

Think Wood’s Residential Resources Demonstrate Lumber’s Versatility—
in Homes and Beyond

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Brickline Flats | WRNS Studio |
Photo Credit: Jason O’Rear

Two new Think Wood case studies show how wood systems solve critical design and development challenges while providing repeatable models for greater market adoption. 

Brickline (WRNS Studio, San Mateo, California) pairs a concrete office space with a five-story light-frame residential wing side-by-side rather than stacked. The hybrid approach kept both structures at Type III, enabled parallel construction (framers starting while concrete progressed), simplified fire separation, and improved thermal/acoustic performance versus all-steel or all-concrete options. A seismic joint allows independent movement, enhancing resilience and constructability on a tight, transit-oriented site.

Bucks T-4 Housing (Integrated Design Cubed, Big Sky, Montana) demonstrates modular mass timber at scale: 120 CLT modules in a 30,000-square-foot building delivering housing for 100 workers under budget in 11 months. Factory-built, fully fitted modules reduced parts and labor, shortened schedules, and improved quality. The result is a refined, replicable workforce housing model that dignifies residents while penciling out for owners.

Together, these case studies drive user engagement that leads to specification and showcase innovative, repeatable wood designs—practical playbooks teams can scale across markets.

THINK WOOD FEATURE

Repeatable Wood Solutions for
Real-World Constraints

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As transparency and carbon reporting become central to material selection for building design, the AWC is working to keep wood competitive and fairly represented. By advancing data quality, sustainability standards, and partnerships, the AWC
is positioning the lumber industry to lead—not just react—as sustainability
demands evolve.

After completing updated, regionally representative Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for lumber earlier this year, the AWC shared the data so that it feeds into leading life-cycle analysis tools such as Building Transparency’s EC3 and One Click LCA, ensuring the true environmental benefits of lumber are visible to specifiers. The organization is also guiding renewal of the product category rules (PCRs) for structural and architectural wood products, protecting against overly restrictive or misaligned proposals from outside groups.

Beyond data, the AWC is shaping key sustainability standards such as ASHRAE and ISO 13391, keeping wood accurately and favorably positioned in building performance metrics. Collaboration with environmental organizations like The Nature Conservancy and Environmental Defense Fund is strengthening trust and developing long-term alignment. This ensures that as sustainability expectations rise, lumber’s environmental advantages remain front and center.

AWC FEATURE

AWC’s Data and Sustainability Work
Protects Market Access for Lumber

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When Build With Strength was created 10 years ago to block mass timber’s inclusion in the I-codes and reclaim market share for concrete by using construction fires to question wood’s safety, the SLB responded by funding and supporting the AWC in launching a fire service engagement program. The program is dedicated to building relationships with the fire service and responding quickly to construction fires to prevent unwarranted attacks on wood products.

Through sustained relationship building and credible expertise, the AWC turned a once-oppositional audience into a trusted partner in fire safety. Today, major fire service organizations—including the International Association of Fire Fighters, International Association of Fire Chiefs, and National Association of State Fire Marshals—recognize mass timber as code-compliant when properly permitted.

The AWC’s fire service engagement team offers courses and speaks around the country on construction fire safety, and this has helped to build trust and confidence in our industry. In Q3, AWC staff presented on mass timber construction at the Black Chief Officers Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; delivered a session on construction fire safety at the Iowa International Association of Arson Investigators Annual Conference; and delivered regional training sessions in Washington state. These engagements continue to position the AWC as a trusted partner in fire safety education and code development—and position wood as a safe, responsible, and forward-looking choice in modern construction.

AWC FEATURE

Turning Opposition Into Allies:
AWC’s Fire Service Engagement

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A strong industry voice in code and standards development is essential to keeping lumber competitive and upholding fair, safe, and accessible building codes nationwide. The AWC represents industry interests at the highest levels—its staff members chair key committees within the International Code Council (ICC), ASTM International, and the National Fire Protection Association to shape how building codes evolve nationwide.

Because ICC codes are adopted across most U.S. jurisdictions, even small changes can greatly affect wood’s use in construction. That’s why the AWC is deeply involved in every three-year I-code development cycle, contributing to hearings, public comment periods, and voting. Earlier this year, the AWC defended provisions for fully exposed mass timber ceilings and secured new design flexibilities that reduce project costs.

This fall, the AWC advanced proposals to ensure consistent treatment of fire-resistance ratings and to correct a costly misinterpretation affecting light-frame platform construction. The proposals clarify an available compliance path for achieving continuity of fire-resistance rating at the exterior wall to floor intersection, eliminating unnecessary hangers and the associated labor. If adopted, these changes could save builders an estimated $104 million annually, in construction of typical 4- and 5-story multifamily buildings. The savings make wood an even more cost-efficient and desirable choice for an estimated 300 buildings each year.

AWC FEATURE

The AWC Safeguards Lumber’s
Place in U.S. Building Codes

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