WoodWorks Offers Free Educational Events

From the September 2010 Forest2Mill newsletter.

WoodWorks, an initiative of the Wood Products Council that provides one-stop access to the widest possible range of information on the use of wood in non-residential structures, is presenting three free educational events in September, two one-day workshops on the use of wood in school construction in South Carolina and a webinar on the use of heavy timber in commercial construction.

1) The free workshops — Building Better Schools with Wood — will be held September 15 at Embassy Suites Hotel, Greenville Golf Resort & Conference Center at 670 Verdae Boulevard in Greenville, S.C. and September 16 at the Citadel Altman Center at 272 Fishburne Street in Charleston, S.C. The workshops will run from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Description: In 2009, the South Carolina Public School Facilities Committee continued a trend that started in Arkansas in 2008 by reversing a long-standing policy when it voted to allow the use of wood in school construction. This decision will save the district money while opening the door to schools that are better for the environment and better for learning. This free seminar sponsored by WoodWorks will cover all major aspects of wood in school construction and offer up to 6 education credits, at no cost.

Registration:  Sept. 15 Greenville 
                        Sept. 16 Charleston

Workshop Agenda

2) WoodWorks is also presenting a one-hour webinar about using heavy timber in commercial building on September 23, 2010 at 10 am PDT | 11 am MDT | 12 noon CDT | 1 pm EDT. The webinar — Using Heavy Timber Construction in Modern Day Commercial Buildings — will be led by Scott Lock, PE, WoodWorks.

Description: Large wood members have long been recongnized for their ability to maintain structural integrity while exposed to fire. Early mill construction from the 19th century utilized massive timbers to carry large loads and to resist structural failure from fire. This seminar will focus on the use of Heavy Timber Construction in modern day construction. Heavy Timber's resistance to fire while still maintaining the aesthetic beauty of wood will be investigated. This will include discussion of what building codes require and how Heavy Timber may be utilized in non-combustible construction. In addition to fire endurance, basic concepts for design of the lateral and gravity resisting system will be considered. Analytical techniques for calculating fire endurance of exposed wood members will also be investigated. The goal of this seminar is to provide techniques for incorporating exposed wood into commercial construction while providing fire resistant construction.

Register online. This seminar offers 1 LU/HSW credit.

WoodWorks is free resource that allows engineers, architects, general contractors, developers and others to build non-residential structures out of wood more easily and at less cost. Visit www.woodworks.org for more information.