NSF Engines Development Award: Advancing mass timber technologies (OR, WA)

NSF发动机发展奖的重点是在太平洋西北地区创建一个繁荣的生态系统，该生态系统将推动和协调大规模木结构建筑、工程和建筑以及制造业和森林管理方面的研究和教育创新，以解决住房、劳动力发展、公平和自然资源管理方面的社会和环境挑战。大量的木材产品利用小尺寸的木材、木饰面和木片——固定在一起，形成坚固的结构材料，储存碳。在建筑中应用大量木材产品可以显著减少我们国家建筑环境的碳足迹，同时通过使用包括选择性采伐小直径原木的恢复项目中的木材纤维来改善森林健康和减轻灾难性的野火。这个可持续和弹性的建筑、工程和大规模木材建设（RE-ACT）项目通过增加可持续大规模木材产品的使用及其在建筑（包括经济适用房）中的应用，提高了环境弹性和美国的全球竞争力。作为大量木材的先驱，太平洋西北地区是区域生态系统的天然中心。俄勒冈大学、俄勒冈州立大学和华盛顿州立大学的研究和推广推动了该地区在这一新兴产业领域的领导地位。RE-ACT项目将利用包容性的参与式需求评估流程来构建我们的利益相关者参与。合作伙伴包括州和地方政府、大学研究人员、经济发展组织、非营利组织、大量木材制造商、制造商、承包商和设计师。发展具有全球竞争力的生态系统的主要障碍包括增加大量木材劳动力所需的培训、有限的现有制造能力以及木材供应、锯木厂和制造方面的瓶颈。需要大量的私人投资来吸引、孵化和加速新的和现有的企业来发展生态系统。该部门的行业增长需要多样化、公平的劳动力，并创建新的企业，以解决整个地区农村和城市社区的社会和经济不平等问题。该发展奖将使RE-ACT的战略规划过程能够确定与木材使用启发研究相关的需求和机会，确定如何最好地将创新从材料转化为应用和商业化，并创造必要的劳动力发展和投资机会，以启动成功的未来NSF引擎。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This NSF Engines Development Award is focused on creating a thriving ecosystem in the Pacific Northwest that will drive and coordinate research and education innovations in mass timber architecture, engineering, and construction, along with manufacturing and forest management, to address social and environmental challenges in housing, workforce development, equity, and natural resource stewardship. Mass timber products utilize small-scale dimensional lumber, wood veneer, and chips - fastened together to create robust structural materials that store carbon. Applying mass timber products in buildings can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of our nation’s-built environment while simultaneously improving forest health and mitigating catastrophic wildfires by using wood fiber from restoration projects involving selective harvesting of small-diameter logs. This Sustainable and Resilient Architecture, Engineering, and Construction in Mass Timber (RE-ACT) project promotes environmental resilience and U.S. global competitiveness through the increased use of sustainable mass timber products and their applications in buildings, including affordable housing. As a pioneer in mass timber, the Pacific Northwest is a natural epicenter for a regional ecosystem. Research and outreach by the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and Washington State University have propelled the region to its current leadership position in this emerging industry sector. The RE-ACT project will utilize an inclusive participatory needs assessment process to structure our stakeholder engagement. Partners include state and local governments, university researchers, economic development organizations, non-profit organizations, mass timber manufacturers, fabricators, contractors, and designers. Significant barriers to developing a globally competitive ecosystem include the training needed to grow the mass timber workforce, the limited current manufacturing capacity, and bottlenecks in timber supply, sawmills, and fabrication. Significant private investment is needed to attract, incubate, and accelerate new and existing businesses to grow the ecosystem. Industry growth in this sector requires a diverse, equitable workforce and the creation of new businesses that address social and economic inequities in rural and urban communities across the region. The Development Award will enable RE-ACT’s strategic planning process to identify the needs and opportunities related to use-inspired research in timber, to determine how best to translate innovations from materials to applications and commercialization, and to create the necessary workforce development and investment opportunities to launch a successful future NSF Engine.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.