College campuses can be as different as night and day. Walk around Stanford, for example, and you’ll find a blend of Romanesque and mission revival style. It looks very “old California”, so to speak. On the other hand, head to USC and you’ll find a mix of Northern Italian Renaissance Revival and plenty of Modern architecture as well, thanks to a building boom on campus in the 60s and 70s.

While what you see on the outside is certainly unique from campus to campus, what’s underneath may not be so different. For countless decades, wood framing was the first step in building structures on many of the country’s college campuses, but that was eventually replaced by steel and concrete framing, which many believed was more structurally sound and would be more cost-effective.

Now, structures that consist primarily of wood are making their way back to college campuses as more and more architects turn to wood framing options for their designs. Many say it’s a logical turn in a world that has become more and more in tune with what harms and what heals the environment.

As colleges are eager to show off their commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency, wood is finding its way onto campuses in every corner of the US. States where the timber industry is an important part of the economy – like California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho – are especially eager to jump onto the wood framing bandwagon.

Tried and true

Some worry that after decades of relying on steel and concrete that wood framing is something we can’t trust. The fact remains, however, that wood construction at a large scale is nothing new at all. Higher education buildings were long constructed with wood and, to the credit of those who did the framing, most are still standing.

Experts point out that this is not the assemblages of 2×4’s used in American houses but rather materials that are much stronger and certainly long-lasting. Furthermore, what comes along with this campus framing option, according to an article in Higher Ed, is “the ability to speed up construction timelines in an industry plagued by inefficiencies; less environmental wear and tear; an attractive visual aesthetic; and the economic contribution of skilled jobs in an emerging industry.” It’s a win-win for the college and the industry, especially when local contractors and materials are used.

Incentives

Michael Goergen, vice president of innovation at the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, recently introduced a grant to help colleges add mass timber buildings to their campuses. He believes the money further triggered a trend that was already starting to grow.

Goergen also noted that new wood framed buildings are popping up much more quickly in countries outside the U.S., and stresses that it’s a trend he hopes we’ll follow. You’ll find a much larger number of such structures, including some very large campus buildings, in Scandinavia and Canada, in particular, he notes, though many are in the planning stages this year in the U.S.

Cost and efficiency

Of course, wood framing projects aren’t necessarily going to all be 10- to 20-story structures like some of those under construction now. Many colleges turn to wood framing because it’s a cost-effective and speedy way to add to or make changes to their campuses.

Often, colleges have only short windows for new construction and/or remodelling or adding to existing structures. Summer is often the season when campuses undergo their transitions, with 3 or 4 months allotted to the completion of projects. Wood framing can be done quickly and efficiently. That means housing will be ready when students arrive for a new semester and that aging science building will be ready with its new wood-framed expansion.

Of course, colleges have unique needs and wants, and at Core Contracting Inc. we understand the particulars of working with educational institutions. Whether it involves work on a fast-tracked remodel project, a seismic upgrade to an existing building, or the construction of a new structure, we’re ready to impress you with our high level of service and expertise.

To learn more about campus framing projects we’ve completed and how we can assist you with your framing needs, call us for more information or complete the contact form on this website.