This project responds to the embodied energy consumed in the production of structural wood framing used in a single-family house through the extraction, transportation, milling and drying and production of standardized dimensional lumber. The project demonstrates how dimensional lumber offcut ‘waste’ streams from manufactured housing can be re-used to advance a cost-effective circular material construction that reduces carbon emissions. Through research and design, the project transforms the conventional wood stud structure of an existing passive house typology (under production by GO-Logic passive home builders in Maine). 2x6 wood stud cut offs of varying lengths are configured in innovative, efficient wood framing structures paired with wood cellulose insulation. The architectural design of wall and roof construction details enable the wood structure to be exposed, creating a contemporary low carbon scrap wood aesthetic that reduces the use of drywall and maintains all criteria for passive house certification.

This collaboration with the MIT Building Technology Team, KVA Matx and industry partner Go-Logic engages computational design tools, integrated wood inventory matching and Finite Element Analysis to allocate wood stud scrap material according to structural demand. This approach supports the use of local timbers for dimensional lumber production and accommodates the dimensional variation found in multi-species low-value timber that is abundant in Maine and across forests in the United States.

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Date: 2025 - Present
Status: Ongoing
Industry Collaborator: GoLogic, Panelized Home Builders
Location: Belfast, ME
Design Team:
Rachel Blowes, MIT Building Technology
Jabari Canada, MIT Architecture
Sheila Kennedy, FAIA; MIT Architecture
Caitlin Mueller, PhD; MIT Structural Engineering
Oliver Moldow, MIT Computation /Automation  
Sam Ratanarat, MIT Architecture
Sam Sundstrom, KVA