Principal Tom Chung accepts the ACSA Mass Timber Education Prize!
Principal Tom Chung FAIA LEED AP BD+C will be accepting the ACSA Mass Timber Education Prize on May 19th at the ACSA 110th Annual Meeting Virtual Conference Empower.
Tom S. Chung, Wentworth Institute of Technology
Mass Timber has tremendous potential to address issues of climate change, disrupt outdated construction processes and create unique spaces that promote user well-being. We investigate these potentials through research and apply them in a design project. Studio travel thru New England gives students direct exposure to all major elements of Mass Timber architecture:
- Sustainable forestry and tree harvesting
- Softwood Lumber yard and production of laminates for Mass Timber
- Digital fabrication technology and CNC machinery
- Prefabrication and Assembly line optimization of building components
- Testing & Research of Mass Timber building products
- Exemplary works of Mass Timber architecture in New England
Studio begins with analysis of mass timber precedents, each selected for a specific creative approach. This exercise equips the studio with a wide catalog of references for inspiration and approach to mass timber design, tectonics, details, construction and spatial quality. Students are then tasked with “inventing” their own mass timber panel, beyond available products such as CLT, NLT, DLT & MPP to investigate mass timber’s architectural and structural potential regarding material reuse, efficiency, systems integration and aesthetics & spatial quality. Studio culminates in a semester long design project, a synthesis of their research, analysis and explorations of mass timber.
