Lone Survivor House

The Lone Survivor Foundation's Soldier Bunk House in Crystal Beach, Texas, presented a unique structural challenge: a pentagon-shaped, two-story retreat built on piers in a coastal environment. To meet the demands of this unconventional design, engineers at Aran and Franklin Engineering turned to treated glulam beams — an engineered wood solution that offered the span capabilities and load performance that traditional dimension lumber simply could not provide. 

This publication is designed for: architects, designers, builders, engineers 

This case study explores how glulam's superior strength-to-weight ratio and long-span performance enabled a structurally sound, open-concept design while minimizing the number of required pilings. It describes how engineered wood delivered measurable advantages in structural resilience and design flexibility. 

Published by APA — The Engineered Wood Association.