Why American Framing Matters

Type Five construction is classified as lightweight wood framed construction, We draw inspiration from this uniquely American construction typology in a number of realms.

First, from a sustainability perspective, dimensional lumber is the most environmentally conscious building material that an architect can specify. When harvested from sustainably managed forests, the lifecycle of dimensional lumber actually sequesters more carbon than it produces. That is to say, the tree that is milled takes more carbon out of the ozone than the production and transportation of the lumber produces. When properly maintained, lumber is an infinitely renewable building material. Once built into a structure, wood framing provides for a better-insulated building envelope than any other common building material. For these environmental reasons, building with dimensional lumber is a much more sustainable way to close the housing shortage gap than building with steel studs, masonry, or concrete. We conceive of these properties of light wood framing to be ecologically lightweight. 

Second, regarding the economics of construction, American light wood framing is ubiquitous. It requires no special tools and uses regional materials and local labor. This means that wood-framed homes can be built anywhere by anyone, there is no learning curve or industry education, and this is a native product, which means there is no labor premium to build in this material. New materials and processes may become available, which precipitate the obsolescence of wood framing, but for the moment, wood framing is by far the dominant construction methodology in the United States. According to the National Association of Home Builders, a whopping 93% of residential construction in the US is wood framed, 7% are concrete, and less than one-half of one percent are steel framed. Many prefabrication companies are experimenting with steel framed construction, but this model adds the complexity of working with a non-native material to the already demanding process of trying to innovate in the AEC realm. The flexibility, availability, unbeatable price and local supply chains lead us to consider the wood frame to be economically lightweight. 

Third, the construction of homes using light wood frames allows for maximum flexibility and problem-solving during construction. Whether using precut bundles of lumber as with the famous Sears Kit Home, or factory lengths of lumber which are cut on-site, wood construction is infinitely customizable. It can be site cut, shaped, notched, or bored. It can be sistered, crippled, scabbed, furred. Problems can be solved in real-time. If a component is missing or needs to be added, a local lumber yard will be able to provide you with the missing component ninety-nine times out of one hundred, not so with proprietary systems, where one damaged component can spell days or weeks of delays. When a project is well managed, wood is fast, precise, and adaptable. We conceive of these qualities as industrially lightweight.