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Oregon city approves permit for US’ 1st all-wood high-rise

FILE--This Nov. 15, 2016, file photo shows a piece of cross-laminated timber, or CLT , in Portland, Ore. City officials in Portland have approved a construction permit for the first all-wood high-rise building in the nation. The building uses the new technology called cross-laminated timber that tests have shown can withstand the worst earthquakes. Developers worked with scientists at Portland State University and Oregon State University to prove through testing that the materials meet all building and fire safety codes. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, file)
FILE--This Nov. 15, 2016, file photo shows a piece of cross-laminated timber, or CLT , in Portland, Ore. City officials in Portland have approved a construction permit for the first all-wood high-rise building in the nation. The building uses the new technology called cross-laminated timber that tests have shown can withstand the worst earthquakes. Developers worked with scientists at Portland State University and Oregon State University to prove through testing that the materials meet all building and fire safety codes. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, file) FILE--This Nov. 15, 2016, file photo shows a piece of cross-laminated timber, or CLT , in Portland, Ore. City officials in Portland have approved a construction permit for the first all-wood high-rise building in the nation. The building uses the new technology called cross-laminated timber that tests have shown can withstand the worst earthquakes. Developers worked with scientists at Portland State University and Oregon State University to prove through testing that the materials meet all building and fire safety codes. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, file)

By Associated Press 2 min read

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Officials in Oregon have approved construction permits for the first all-wood high-rise building in the nation.

Construction on the 12-story building, called Framework, will break ground this fall in Portland’s trendy and rapidly growing Pearl District and is expected to be completed by the following winter.

The decision by state and local authorities to allow construction comes after months of painstaking testing of the emerging technologies that will be used to build it, including a product called cross-laminated timber, or CLT.

To make CLT, lumber manufacturers align 2-by-4 boards in perpendicular layers and then glue them together like a giant sandwich before sliding the resulting panels into a massive press for drying. The resulting panels are stronger than traditional wood because of the cross-hatched layers; CLT can withstand horizontal and vertical pressures similar to those from a significant earthquake with minimal damage.

They are also lighter and easier to work with than regular timber, resulting in lower cost and less waste.