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

NSF引擎发展奖的重点是在太平洋西北地区创造一个蓬勃发展的生态系统，推动和协调大众木材建筑、工程和建筑领域的研究和教育创新，以及制造业和森林管理，以应对住房、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规模的木材、木材单板和木片--固定在一起，创造出坚固的结构材料来储存碳。在建筑物中应用大量木材产品可以显著减少我国建筑环境的碳足迹，同时通过使用来自修复项目的木纤维来改善森林健康和减少灾难性的野火，这些项目涉及选择性地采伐小直径原木。这个可持续和有弹性的大众木材建筑、工程和建筑项目(RE-ACT)通过更多地使用可持续的大众木材产品及其在建筑物(包括经济适用房)中的应用来提高环境韧性和美国的全球竞争力。作为大宗木材的先驱，太平洋西北部是区域生态系统的天然震中。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行业领域目前的领先地位。RE-ACT项目将利用一个包容性的参与性需求评估过程来组织我们的利益攸关方参与。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、大众木材制造商、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重大障碍包括培养大量木材劳动力所需的培训、目前有限的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。这一部门的行业增长需要一支多样化、公平的劳动力队伍，并创建新的企业，以解决该区域农村和城市社区的社会和经济不平等问题。发展奖将使RE-ACT的战略规划过程能够识别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项目。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.