When it comes to sustainable construction materials, there’s no contest: mass timber buildings require less heavy equipment, save on labor costs and take less time to install than concrete and steel. By utilizing mass timber, the construction industry can utilize green building practices without compromising efficiency.

That was the message of “Managing Mass Timber: From Forest to Future,” a lecture delivered by , and  of Kent State University. Presented on Sept. 30 at the , the lecture was part of a national tour showcasing Mirando and Onsarigo’s research at Kent State’s .

Mass timber refers to a class of engineered wood products (EWPs) that are often used for wall, roof and floor construction. Because commercial-scale mass timber construction projects are on the rise across the United States, Professors Mirando and Onsarigo highlighted the importance of educating the next generation of professionals about these green building materials.

The lecture featured data from one of the tallest mass timber buildings in the United States:  in Cleveland, Ohio. A mixed-use structure with 300 apartment units and ground-floor commercial space, the project was uniquely efficient because of the use of mass timber materials such as Glued-Laminated Timber (GLT) beams and columns, as well as Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) slabs. The real estate developer reported that construction time was about 25% faster than typical concrete or steel construction.

“Managing Mass Timber: From Forest to Future” also included a weeklong exhibit in Link Hall where students could examine real-life examples of mass timber building materials, including dowel laminated timber, nail laminated timber, and connections and assemblies used in mid- and high-rise construction projects. The “Managing Mass Timber: From Forest to Future” national exhibition tour is funded by the (SLB) headquartered in Portland, Oregon. , department chair of civil and environmental engineering, and Reed Kelterborn, director of education for SLB, delivered welcoming and opening remarks.

The visit from Kent State University faculty was organized by , associate teaching professor and undergraduate civil engineering program director, and , civil and environmental engineering professor emeritus. “We were thrilled to host Drs. Mirando and Onsarigo’s national touring exhibition on the construction management aspects of the mass timber building industry, and to highlight the benefits of mass timber as a sustainable construction material to the Engineering, Architecture and Construction (EAC) community here in Central New York,” says Professor Shi. “Interest in mass timber buildings is rising rapidly throughout the country. Skilled labor and seasoned professionals are in great demand. This state-of-the-art exhibition and lecture can help bring our students up to speed and get them ready for the next generation’s EAC industry.”

“In addition, we are training students to design and build more sustainable and resilient infrastructure to approach the immense challenges of climate change and natural disasters,” Professor Davidson adds. “Mass timber can be one of the most effective construction materials to meet these challenges.”

Students in engineering, architecture and other disciplines who are interested in the topic of sustainable building materials may also want to register for the , which will be held in ���ϲ����� this coming March.

Designed to catalyze new, externally sponsored research at ���ϲ����� and its partner organizations, the Faculty Fellows program can help advance economic and workforce development for New York state businesses. Since 2015, the program has supported 63 researchers with 96 awards, totaling over $1 million in project funding.

Building America works closely with industry, academia and community-based organizations to advance commercial building and residential housing performance solutions. Following a request for proposals from DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), awards were granted to nine teams of experts from around the country to develop, scale and implement solutions that advance energy efficiency in residential buildings.

The “Reducing Applied Losses in Heat Pumps” project is led by Principal Investigator , a professor of practice in mechanical and aerospace engineering and the associate director of building science and community programs. “Our focus will be on reducing what we call applied energy losses in heat pumps,” says Shapiro. “We believe that we can substantially reduce energy use just by helping people make better choices in installation and operation. If this hypothesis is correct, it will help people in affordable housing reduce energy costs, reduce carbon emissions, and reduce the impact of electrification on the electric grid.”

This project will focus on improving efficiencies in air-source heat pumps by reducing applied losses. With ���ϲ�����CoE as the team lead, project stakeholders also include the  (ECS), the  (AEA) based in New York City, and  based in Ithaca, New York. This retrofit solutions team will receive $1 million in funding over five years.

Professor Ian Shapiro doing a baseline site visit of a heat pump installation at a residential home with two PhD students. (Left to right: Ji Zhou, Ian Shapiro, Wenfeng Huang, and Stan Linhorst)

In addition to Shapiro, affiliated faculty will include Professors �����Ի���. Zhang is a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at ECS and the executive director of ���ϲ�����CoE. Dong is an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at ECS and ���ϲ�����CoE’s associate director of Grid-Interactive Buildings. The team will leverage local partnerships and access to ���ϲ�����CoE’s to refine heat pump technology and operation and expand their application in underserved communities. “The DOE Building America Program has profoundly impacted the advancement of housing technologies and practices for new construction. ���ϲ�����CoE is proud to host and support the project with state-of-the-art facilities and contribute to improving energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality through effective retrofitting solutions for existing buildings,” says Zhang.

Each of the nine selected awardees is given a period of one to five years to scale and implement their proposed retrofit solution appropriately. A is available from DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Hydronic Shell Technologies will implement a patented building technology that uses prefabricated, modular panels to retrofit multifamily buildings. This high-efficiency system is designed to improve indoor air quality and lower residents’ energy bills.

Photo courtesy of Hydronic Shell Technologies

Based in New York City, Hydronic Shell Technologies is a member of ���ϲ�����CoE’s Partner Program, a network of startups and established companies working on indoor environmental quality, renewable energy and other green technologies. Hydronic Shell Technologies is also an active industry collaborator in ���ϲ�����CoE’s , which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and executed in partnership with CenterState CEO.

“���ϲ����� was the birthplace of the modern HVAC industry in the early 20th century, and the culture of innovation still thrives here,” says David Goldstein, founder and CEO of Hydronic Shell Technologies. “���ϲ�����CoE and ���ϲ����� have been essential partners in helping us reach this point, and we’re thrilled to work with them and other local partners to showcase a transformative new approach to retrofitting buildings, achieving deep emissions reductions while addressing the urgent quality of life issues prevalent in affordable housing communities throughout the country.”

Hydronic Shell Technologies will work in collaboration with ���ϲ�����CoE and the University, as well as other project partners that include two ���ϲ�����CoE Partner Program members: and . The project will be implemented at a seven-story ���ϲ����� Housing Authority residential building located at 418 Fabius St. on the city’s Near West Side.

As New York State’s Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems, ���ϲ�����CoE is a hub for cutting-edge research and serves as a test bed for products that deliver clean energy solutions. Over the past twenty years, ���ϲ�����CoE has engaged more than 200 firms and organizations in collaborative projects, as well as over 75 faculty members across ���ϲ����� and partner institutions.

“We are very excited to support the efforts of Hydronic Shell Technologies,” says ���ϲ����� COE Executive Director , professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “David and his team have designed a unique product that will make our community’s public housing stock more energy-efficient and livable.”