Mass Timber, Small Format: Creative Applications of Fabrication off-cuts
Project Lead: Linda Zimmer and Cory Olsen, UO College of Design
Abstract: During the testing and fabrication of mass timber projects a natural byproduct inevitably occurs in the form of offcuts and cutouts. In the case of new mass timber structures, the engineered wood materials are typically fabricated and prepared off site, allowing for the majority of the leftover materials to be made into useful products at the same facility already ideally set up for further digital fabrication. While the thickness of many of the spare panelized elements under investigation/production at TDI might seem excessive for smaller scale elements, the digital design and production techniques already being used allow for a fine degree of precision commensurate with furniture joinery. We propose to experiment with designing and fabricating furniture scale components and furniture prototypes as a way to reclaim these otherwise unused timber products. This project captures off cuts and remaindered materials from structural testing at TDI in both CLT and MPP panels.