Spring 2025
Highlights from this Month's e-Newsletter
ENGINEERING STUDENT CONTEST
Timber-Strong Design Build Competition Shows Wood’s Durability, Sustainability
How tough is it to design and build a small but strong structure that demonstrates the durability and appeal of engineered wood construction?
It’s not always easy, but it can be fun. Ask participants in the 2025 Timber-Strong Design Build(sm) competition.
The annual event allows engineering students to learn hands-on about designing and building with engineered wood. Held during March and April, hundreds of students from engineering schools across the country take part.
APA – The Engineered Wood Association, the American Wood Council and Simpson Strong-Tie partner with the American Society of Civil Engineers to sponsor the competition. Ten schools hosted the event. Eighty teams participated — almost twice as many as in 2024.
Made up of ASCE student chapter members, teams were tasked with designing and building a 2-story, sustainable, light-framed wood structure. It had to be creative, include complex design elements and be structurally sound. Teams prepared project budgets and followed OSHA safety guidelines and industry standard building codes. Each structure had to show a continuous load path for gravity and wind loads. Mirroring real-world conditions, each team had to navigate the submittal, requests-for-information and change order processes.
After the competition, the projects were deconstructed, and teams submitted a plan for donating or repurposing the building. Competition rules and construction guidelines were updated for 2025, and teams were responsible for implementing the changes.
First-place teams included the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, Purdue University-West Lafayette, the University of Washington, Auburn University, Michigan Technological
First-place teams included the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, Purdue University-West Lafayette, the University of Washington, Auburn University, Michigan Technological University, Clemson, Colorado School of Mines and the University of Texas-Arlington.
The Montana State University-Bozeman team’s structure included a roof truss pitched at different angles. Joe Perez, lead designer on Montana State University’s submission, said he appreciated the opportunity the Timber-Strong Design Build competition offers.
“Learning this type of timber construction is not normally in the curriculum, so being able to get this kind of exposure was a great benefit for us,” he said, adding that working with a sustainable material like wood was important to the team. “We really want to make sure that we’re having the least amount of impact on the environment as possible.”
2025 was the first time the University of Louisiana-Lafayette took part in the Timber Strong Design Build competition. Nick Pontiff, a student at the university, said the event is unique, which is why he wanted to be a part of it.
“There’s nothing like this competition where you get to design and build with wood,” Pontiff said. “I like that this competition is with a team, and we all get to work together.”
Dakota Sarathus, team captain for the University of South Alabama, echoed Pontiff’s comments. He said the event was a great opportunity to learn about wood construction.
“I was really excited to work with this team,” Sarathus said. “We haven’t had any wood design classes, so it was a big adjustment using wood in this competition. I have experience with building pole barns in high school, which is what got me interested in this competition.”
The 2025 competition was held at 10 host schools nationwide.
VIEW THE FULL LIST OF 2025’S WINNING TEAMS ►
Getting Technical
FTAO Calculator Updated for 2025
APA’s complimentary design tool, the Force Transfer Around Openings (FTAO) Calculator, is ideal for helping engineers and code officials with the design implementation of FTAO shear walls in wood-framed buildings. The free Excel-based calculator helps designers calculate the maximum hold-down force for uplift resistance, horizontal strap force requirements, and maximum wall system deflection. The calculator has been updated for 2025. Find the updated calculator as well as other instructional FTAO resources on APA’s website.
GET CALCULATOR ►
Inside the Circle
Meet Lindsey Kuster, PE
APA Engineered Wood Specialist Lindsey is based in San Diego and covers the Southwestern states of California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. She promotes the correct use of engineered wood products to designers, builders and code officials with a focus on sustainable design.
Lindsey has over seven years of structural engineering experience working on new and existing buildings in health care, education and civic projects. She received her master’s degree in structural engineering from the University of California-San Diego and her bachelor’s in architectural engineering from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo. Lindsey is a registered professional engineer in California. When she isn’t working, Lindsey enjoys swimming, camping, skiing and exploring the outdoors.
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