Design guidance for building safe rooms

Safe rooms are specially designed structures that offer an enclosed space for people to seek refuge in the event of extreme weather, such as tornadoes and hurricanes. These structures are designed to provide what the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) considers to be “near-absolute protection”—a term describing the level...
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Using CLT to spark change

Mass timber—specifically cross-laminated timber (CLT)—continues to spread across the nation as an alternative to traditional concrete and steel construction. CLT panels are described as large-scale, predesigned, and highly engineered for precise tolerances.
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Seeing the benefits of engineered wood

Since the introduction of plywood and glued-laminated timber (glulam) beams more than a century ago, engineered wood has continuously progressed to provide greater strength, versatility, consistency, and many other attributes. Today, the engineered wood category encompasses oriented strand board (OSB), strand and fiber siding, laminated strand lumber (LSL) I-joists,...
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Quantifying aluminum’s green credentials

Aluminum is a cost-effective building material option that can support green initiatives without compromising design integrity. With minimal environmental impact throughout its life cycle duration it is frequently specified for various enclosures and fenestration systems.
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