The Institute for Health in the Build Environment and the University of Oregon has been awarded more than $16 million in federal funds to build a state-of-the-art acoustics research facility and create affordable housing prototypes. The funds are part of a major government grant to the Oregon Mass Timber Coalition from the Build Back Better Regional Challenge.
Oregon Acoustic Research Laboratory:
To make urban living more comfortable, good acoustics are essential and difficult to get right.
“Floor and ceiling acoustics have become a hurdle to increasing the uptake of mass timber structural systems in multistory, multifamily housing,” said IHBE Director Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg. “We’re trying to help mass timber find its way into multistory, multifamily housing and reduce sound transmission between units. And you need to test it before you can build it.”
Affordable Housing:
$2 Million will go to our effort to create efficient, affordable, long-lasting housing.
“Sheine’s research focuses on using mass timber in the construction of affordable housing that provides energy and seismic resilience while sequestering carbon through its use of wood products. The grant will fund prototypes to prove the viability of constructing small, affordable, single-family homes as well as building and retrofitting multistory and multifamily dwellings” (Murez, Around the O).
See the full press release here: https://around.uoregon.edu/content/uo-programs-bolstered-16m-build-back-better-funds