The IHBE is excited to be a recipient of the US Forest Service Wood Innovation Grant to develop mass plywood panel in building retrofits. University of Oregon and Oregon State University are collaborating through TallWood Design Institute to upgrade aging, energy inefficient and seismically unprepared multifamily housing by developing a mass plywood (MPP) retrofit panel assembly that employs digital workflows and small diameter logs (down to 5”) to create an economically viable energy/seismic retrofit model for the West Coast and beyond. The project has broad potential to support forested federal land management agencies and private forestry by providing a new market for small diameter logs.
This project will demonstrate that a system of prefabricated panels built around MPP can be rapidly applied onsite to upgrade older buildings to meet or exceed energy and seismic codes. The panels will be factory-built, large enough to span multiple floors vertically for improved seismic performance and capacity, and capable of installation over existing siding. The first set of activities are the panel system design, culminating with the construction and testing for constructability and structural performance of a full-size portion of a building. After, we will use the output from the design activities to document and demonstrate the system, and then disseminate the materials to industry stakeholders.
