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Dive brief:
- Michigan builders who want to use solid wood could potentially earn cash and guidance of the Wolverine State and other experts for their projects, according to an Oct. 22 announcement from the state Department of Natural Resources.
- Michigan’s Solid Wood Catalyst Program provides financial and technical support to project teams in the early planning and design phases of new construction that uses solid wood as the primary structural or architectural material, according to the news release. Cash prizes can range from $25,000 to $75,000.
- Eligible applicants include homeowners, design professionals or real estate developers with an active, commissioned project in Michigan that prioritizes or is considering the use of solid wood, according to the release. These projects may include commercial, industrial, public/institutional, multi-family residential and other building types that demonstrate innovative and optimized use of solid wood.
Diving knowledge:
The push for massive lumber aligns with the state’s belief that it can eventually become a big part of its economy. To wit, Michigan’s forest products economy already generates more than $26 billion annually, said Sandra Lupien, director of MassTimber@MSU, a Michigan State University organization dedicated to advancing the mass use of wood in construction.
The material has gained ground in construction over the last decade as a low carbon alternative to traditional building materials. Tech companies in particular have flocked to it: Meta, for example, is turning to the material amid the data center boom in a effort to create greener facilitieswhile Amazon made it a core component of theirs HQ2 complex in Virginia.
The labor side of construction is also working to embrace the massive wood — steelworkers, for example, are being trained to work with the material because of its similarities to structural steel, which is already a fixture of the trade.
“By advancing this technology, we’re not only reducing the carbon footprint of our buildings, we’re also strengthening local economies and reimagining what’s possible for design and construction in our state,” Cheri Holman, executive director of the Michigan Green Building Collaborative, said in the news release.
Winning teams will participate in a cohort led by MassTimber@MSU and WoodWorks, a non-profit organization focused on mass timber. The groups will work through design, procurement, cost estimation and code approval processes, among other facets.
Funding for the program comes from a one-time allocation from the State General Fund to the DNR in Public Law 121 of 2024, according to the press release.
