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Cross laminated timbers proposed for Hayward Field fail at OSU Forestry School

You’ll be shocked to hear that politics were involved. Jeff Manning has the story on OSU’s new School of Forestry building in the Oregonian here:

… The Peavy problem comes after years of efforts by state officials to promote a technology they view as an economic engine for rural Oregon. The state’s timber employment has fallen 62 percent since its 1980s heyday, from about 80,000 to 30,000.  In 2015, the state deemed the development of cross-laminated timber buildings “essential” to the state’s economic interests.

The panels were made by DR Johnson, a venerable Douglas County timber company and newly minted CLT manufacturer, whose president, Valerie Johnson, sits on the forestry school’s board of visitors.

OSU officials initially said they knew few details of the DR Johnson contract. It was actually a British Columbia-based subcontractor, StructureCraft, that signed that contract, they noted.

But documents obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive show that StructureCraft had no choice but to hire DR Johnson. Buried deep in a 1,300-page “spec book,” OSU included a requirement that the CLT panels used in Peavy Hall be manufactured within 300 miles of the job site. Only DR Johnson met that requirement. …

Of course Historified Hayward Field is being built by Phil Knight with no state or university oversight and isn’t subject to the Governor’s buy local obsession, so presumably Shlusher’s Schlong will use enough glue to keep the wood up.

3 Comments

  1. Fishwrapper 08/14/2018

    10 August 2018
    Oregon State faculty and staff,

    We are providing this update to share news that construction on the Oregon Forest Science Complex has resumed and is well underway.

    Contractors this week are installing cross-laminated timber floor panels and shear walls in Zone 3 of the Peavy Hall nearest Richardson Hall. Meanwhile, construction of the A.A. Red Emmerson Advanced Wood Products Lab along Washington Way continues with contractors today pouring the first layer of concrete for the lab’s floor and preparing to raise framed walls next week. As well, we anticipate a schedule for resumption of construction in other zones of the complex will be finalized in the next two weeks.

    University and college leadership, our project contractor and external consultants continue to collaborate to ensure not only the completion of this project but that when it is finished, Peavy Hall will be a safe building, constructed in accordance with our project specifications and within budget.

    We forecast Peavy Hall will be completed in fall 2019 and in full operation for Winter term 2020, further contributing to our goal of creating state-of-the-art facilities for globally renowned research, teaching and engagement.

    We recognize that this project has taken longer and will be more costly than originally planned. Yet, we are confident that the result will be a showcase of Pacific Northwest wood products, modern CLT technology, OSU’s No. 2 world-ranked college of forestry, and the future of innovative and sustainable wood sciences.

    Sincerely,

    Edward Feser
    Provost and Executive Vice President

    Mike Green
    Vice President for Finance and Administration

    =================

    “…Peavy Hall will be a safe building, constructed in accordance with our project specifications and within budget.” Having blown TWO budget revisions already – within what budget will you be keeping the building, exactly? And having blown the budget part of that boast, Oregon is expected to believe the safety statement, too? (Interesting this note to the campus was sent out in advance – just barely – of the article.)

  2. zach 08/28/2018

    I think the city has a hearing coming up on 9-12 about the plastic sports fields and floodlighting plan to ruin the riverfront…hope you can help notify public and media about that.

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