College of Agriculture & Natural ResourcesMass Timber

Michigan State University is at the forefront of mass timber trends on campus and as it explores opportunities for industry development in Michigan and industry enhancement across the United States.

The first mass timber building in Michigan is being built on MSU's campus around the former Shaw Lane Power Plant, adjacent to Spartan Stadium. The two new mass timber wings will offer 117,000 square feet of modern teaching labs and are expected to open in spring 2020.

Additionally, faculty in the Department of Forestry and School of Planning, Design and Construction are researching lignin-based adhesives, predictive construction cost and time tools for mass timber buildings, and inclusion of salvaged lumber content in mass timber, all in an effort to support the growth of mass timber in the domestic architecture, engineering and construction industry.

MSU STEM Building Construction Time Lapse

News

• 

  New MSU STEM building to help fight climate change by storing carbon

  Published on December 4, 2019

  Cross-laminated timber (CLT) -- which consists of large structural planks glued together to form beams and columns -- used in MSU’s STEM facility will store carbon that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.

• 

  MSU received $247K U.S. Forest Service grant to develop tool for cross-laminated timber in commercial building construction

  Published on June 20, 2019

  The MSU Construction Management program was selected by the U.S. Forest Service to develop a construction time and cost estimating tool for use of CLT in commercial building construction.

• 

  First timber building of its kind in Michigan constructed at MSU

  Published on April 1, 2019

  The new STEM building on MSU's campus will be built with cross laminated timber technology supporting sustainable building practices that could lay the groundwork for future markets in Michigan.

• 

  Using lignin as a sustainable alternative in biobased adhesives

  Published on March 29, 2019

  Mojgan Nejad, an assistant professor in the Department of Forestry at Michigan State University, has been working with wood panel producers and adhesive manufacturers for several years in pursuit of alternatives to petrochemicals.

• 

  Department of Forestry now offers a minor in Sustainable Bioproducts Science and Technology

  Published on February 18, 2019

  A new minor from the Department of Forestry at Michigan State University (MSU) will offer students an opportunity to pursue a career or graduate degrees in renewable wood-based bioproducts.

View all news