ASCE Timber Construction

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the sponsors American Wood Council (AWC), Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc. (SST), and APA – The Engineered Wood Association (APA) are developing a student competition based on creating a sustainable, 2-story wood light-framed building (a.k.a. project). While other natural resources are rapidly depleting, wood is the only building material that grows naturally, is 100% renewable, and outperforms other building materials in overall carbon footprint reduction. As a result, AWC, SST and APA are seeking student teams to design and build an artistically creative building that is sustainable, aesthetically pleasing and structurally durable. The 2022 Timber-Strong Design BuildSM (TSDB) Competition enables students to gain experience in performing crucial aspects of common structural engineering design and practice. Participating students will learn about the processes involved in professionally designing and proposing a project bid, which must be unique and not a replication of a previous year’s design. Students will also gain exposure to the management and building practices used in construction environments. Through the performance of analysis, production of a building information model, preparation of a project bid, production of construction documents, and management of the construction process, each team is expected to act as a design-build construction firm while competing in a friendly environment. It is the goal of this competition to provide unique insights and hands-on experience for the next generation of structural engineers involved in sustainable design and construction.