Written by Julie Kies, Wood Innovations Coordinator USDA Forest Service, Northern and Intermountain Regions This article was posted online on October 2021 by Wood Innovations: US Forest Service With an undulating roofline designed to mimic the rolling hills overlooking the University of Idaho’s Moscow campus, the Idaho Central Credit Union Arena is hitting new creative heights for mass timber. The 62,000-square-foot, 4,000-capacity facility is home to the University of Idaho’s men’s and women’s basketball teams—the Vandals—and highlights Idaho’s sustainable forestry and wood products sector. Mass timber is the general classification for a group of wood products. They are made by mechanically fastening or bonding with adhesive smaller wood components to form large, prefabricated wood elements used as beams, columns, walls, floors, and roofs in buildings. These products sequester carbon and have a smaller environmental footprint than traditional building materials. The $51 million arena was made possible in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, (USDA) Forest Service Wood Innovations Grants program. This funding supports traditional wood utilization projects, expands wood energy markets, and promotes using wood as a construction material in commercial buildings. “The Wood Innovations funding (from the Forest Service) enabled us to engage architectural firms early on and really nail down the proof of concept that would define how the project would proceed. Showcasing the potential of mass timber and relying on local wood supply were priorities for us,” says Dennis Becker, Dean of the University of Idaho’s College of Natural Resources. A Magnet for Students The arena will establish an identity for…
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