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ESF Professor Awarded Research Grant
Innovations in the area of green building construction methods will be the focus of a grant awarded to an ESF researcher by Syracuse University's Sustainable Enterprise Partnership (SEP), in cooperation with the U.S. Green Building Council. The $19,000 award will fund new research on cross-laminated timber (CLT) wood products in multifamily housing.
Dr. Rene Germain, professor of forest and natural resources management at ESF and Patrick Penfield, professor of supply chain practice at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, will conduct the research, which will focus on the use of sustainable structural wood in multifamily housing and commercial structures. The researchers will examine the regulatory, political and economic barriers that contribute to the lack of adoption of CLT in construction projects. CLT is an environmentally friendly, cost-effective, quality product.
According to the researchers, using CLT in commercial buildings, rather than concrete, masonry or steel provides significant supply chain, environmental and cost benefits for companies and organizations in the United States. The research will be useful to the U.S. Green Building Council to share with its members who may not be aware of all the benefits of CLT.