The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is requiring a mass timber structural option to be considered at the design stage of all of its vertical construction projects going forward. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released an Engineering and Construction Bulletin (ECB) on Sept. 23 that outlines a new policy requiring the consideration of mass timber as a structural option for all vertical construction projects undertaken for all Army and civil works projects.

The basis for this change arises from the successes and lessons learned from the Candlewood Suites hotels at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. In 2018 Lendlease was contracted to build or renovate 42 hotel sites for the US Army. Most of the planned hotels were 5 or 6 storey hotels.  A spokesperson for Lendlease USA advised they expected 80% of the projects would be done in CLT and glulam.

Click here to read more.