National Public Radio’s (NPR) Morning Edition presented a segment on the growing popularity of cross-laminated timber in Oregon.
Last week, David Greene and Rachael McDonald hosted the broadcast, “New Technology Could Revive Pacific Northwest’s Ailing Timber Industry.” McDonald opened the segment with a tour of the new Albina Yard with Thomas Robinson, architect and founder of LEVER Architecture. Robinson focused on the importance of Albina Yard during the tour; it is the first building to use cross-laminated timber (CLT) made in Oregon and built in the United States.
Mayor Christine Lundberg then discussed the CLT parking garage in Springfield, Oregon, which is currently in early planning stages. “It’s an entirely different looking structure than a typical parking garage… it’s a signature piece,” Lundberg said.
Doug Heiken, Conservation and Restoration Coordinator with Oregon Wild, voiced his concerns over the source of the materials, emphasizing that clearcutting the Pacific Northwest’s old-growth forests in order to produce CLT would not be the best solution.
The segment concluded with a trip to Riddle, Oregon where CLT is being produced by D.R. Johnson Mill. Todd Black, the Marketing Director for D.R. Johnson, explained that CLT is being tested in a varied of ways to ensure safety.
You can hear the NPR segment or read the entire transcript at “New Technology Could Revive Pacific Northwest’s Ailing Timber Industry.” Read more about Albina Yard on our blog at “Reworks and LEVER gearing up for Albina Yard” and at “Mass timber building tour an informational start.“