LeMay America's Car Museum

The LeMay – America's Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington, demonstrates how engineered wood can deliver both striking architectural design and measurable structural performance. The 165,000-square-foot facility features a dramatic curved roof system built with structural glued laminated timber (glulam) — a solution that met rigorous seismic design requirements while achieving a construction cost significantly below the industry average for comparable museum projects. 

This project is for: architects, designers, builders 

This APA case study explores how glulam's versatility enabled a complex, double-curved roof geometry that would have been difficult and costly to replicate in other materials. It explains how the project team leveraged engineered wood to balance aesthetic ambition, code compliance, and budget. 

Published by APA — The Engineered Wood Association.