An upcoming exhibition at the National Building Museum aims to dispel myths about the use of structural wood in construction.

Steel and reinforced concrete have long been the predominant construction materials for commercial buildings worldwide, but in the past five years, mass timber construction has rapidly gained viability as an alternative. Engineered wood products, which include cross-laminated timber (CLT), nail-laminated timber, and glue-laminated (glulam) structural members, have attracted interest for their high strength-to-weight ratios, comparatively lower embodied energy, and innate ability to sequester carbon.

In September, mass-timber construction will become the centerpiece of “Timber City,” an exhibition at the National Building Museum (NBM), in Washington, D.C., that will look at the evolving industry and its role in improving rural manufacturing communities and its benefit to urban centers. The Design Building at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, will be featured in the exhibit.

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Timber City” will run from Sept. 17, 2016, to May 21, 2017, at the National Building Museum.