Considering the steel tariffs are now in place, the news that new wood products are being designed to offer more affordable housing in Atlanta seems even more important. Recently it was announced an international contest was taking place that puts Georgia’s biggest crop, pine trees, into the spotlight as a new building material.
According to news reports the contest involves designing new affordable housing on the south side of Atlanta where currently a rundown motel takes up space. If all goes as planned, the state’s pine tree farmers could enjoy a huge boon as the city’s mayor has pledged to spend $1 billion on affordable housing.
Reports claim about 150 people currently live at the rundown Santa Fe Villas motel, described as “seedy.” Those who live there are ready for a more attractive rebuild, and top entries in the contest are using Georgia pine trees to make giant slabs that are made by mass timber cross cutting and gluing into sturdy panels. Shane Totten, sustainability architect believes that not only is this a step in the right direction for more affordable housing, but a greener Atlanta as well.
The majority of builders are on board with the idea saying it’s a cheaper option, but also greener and more attractive. At the time of reports the two contest finalists were waiting to learn who would win the prize money to begin the building process.
The contest is actually an initiative launched in August 2017 known as domestiCITY. While 189 registrants from 15 countries were interested, in the end there were 20 teams who submitted final design proposals. The two finalists are Lord Aeck Sargent in Atlanta, and Utile of Boston.
Buildings designed using more wood and less steel are going up and in the works all around the world today. Wood products are not only more affordable and sustainable, in many people’s eyes they are more beautiful as well. At REA JET we provide innovative coding and marking solutions to the wood and lumber industry, including high resolution printing and our DOD 2.0 large character inkjet systems. Trust us for all of your wood marking needs.