Welcome New Team Members: Welcome to the team, Paul Drace! 

Paul is a proud UW-Platteville graduate where he received his degree in Civil Engineering with a structural emphasis. He worked as a consulting engineer for 5+ years before spending the next 20+ years in a multitude of roles in the commercial focused Engineered Wood Products manufacturing industry, most recently in the Cross Laminated Timber (CLT)/Mass Timber space.

Paul has witnessed firsthand the evolution and renaissance of structural wood products used in commercial construction. The skeptics are becoming proponents and the oft misunderstood and under-utilized wood products are rightly becoming the “cool kids” of commercial construction, which is exciting to him…He truly can’t wait to see what the future brings!

Volume One Article about the CMEC Capital Raise Preview Tour:

"The new Children’s Museum of Eau Claire will be a one-of-a-kind building – and not just for downtown Eau Claire. The museum, which is currently under construction on North Barstow Street, includes some unique design features that will make it stand out, even on a state and national stage."

During a June 20 hard-hat tour for donors and other community members, it was clear that the museum – which is expected to open in January — is taking shape."

Lincoln Park Zoo Lion House wins Awards: "Through a $41 million renovation, restoration and expansion, the new 54,000-square-foot Pepper Wildlife Center houses the zoo’s African lions, Canada lynx, red pandas and snow leopards. The feature lion habitat nearly doubled in size, with a design driven by behavior data collected by zoo researchers. The savanna-style habitat includes climbing features and embedded heating and cooling elements for climate control as well as new food zip lines, simulating prey, that provide enrichment opportunities for the zoo’s animals."

This project won the 2022 Landmarks Illinois Richard H Driehaus Foundation's Preservations Award for Rehabilitation and the Richard H. Driehaus Legacy Award.

Pikku-Finlandia: 

Pikku-Finlandia (Little Finlandia) is a 2700 m2 wooden temporary event facility in central Helsinki to replace Finlandia Hall, the landmark building by Alvar Aalto, during its three-year renovation. Pikku-Finlandia’s most impressive feature and a key design element is the 95 Scots pine columns.
The project was organized by Aalto University, the City of Helsinki and the Finlandia Hall in fall 2019.

Tulalip Gathering Space, TBG Architects:  This entryway and interior of the Tulalip Gathering Space are supported by massive cedar SRT columns. A stunning example to Indigenous projects that use the materials known for millennia to be strong and keeps the end user connected to the landscape.

According to TGB Architects, architect for this project, the form and materials of the building are simple and traditional—the ancient wisdom of tribal peoples draws them to gather in a circle, which allows them to both listen to a speaker and see the faces of the other listeners, helping them find the way to consensus and agreement. 

“Large supporting cedar columns in the main gathering space are arranged in a gentle curve to encourage a circling arrangement of gathering,” says TGB Architects. “This enclosing shape also references the shape of a canoe, which is an important artifact of travel for the Coast Salish People.”

 Ecotrust by Holst: In 2001, Holst restored a historic, century-old warehouse to create a center that encourages the exchange of ecologically and socially responsible ideas, goods, and services. Ecotrust, officially the Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center, is an open, light-filled space for progressive businesses and nonprofit organizations, that promotes interaction and at some points, even eliminates barriers between tenants.

Ecotrust was the first historic redevelopment in the U.S. to receive a gold-level LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, and the first LEED Gold building in the Pacific Northwest, heralding the green building movement in the region. We love seeing applications of sawn heavy timber (SHT) in the Pacific Northwest.

Lummi Nation Admin Building by Freiheit Architecture: 

Southern Ute Museum by Jones + Jones: The Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum was developed to preserve and share the heritage of a native people who have inhabited present-day Colorado, Utah and New Mexico for millennia. This award winning design features a striking round timber centerpiece in the design that draws the eye to the sky.

Jones and Jones ideology is one that resonates with WholeTrees and utilizing the original mass timber :"We continue to build on a longstanding tradition of creating iconic projects with timeless qualities. Devotion to place, community identity, and nature kindles our craft. We tell local truths with carefully chosen tools and materials—honoring the rhythms of nature, culture and community."

Central City Galleria, Artrium and façade: In Surrey BC, StructureCraft designed, fabricated and erected three sections of Central City Development, a mixed-use facility - the Galleria roof, the Atrium Roof, and the Atrium's North Façade.

The design had to fit several constraints and required an innovative approach to build something that was a logical response to the complex geometric form designed by the architects.

Platz Associates, Maine: Grand Rounds, an award winning healthcare company, chose Lewiston, Maine as its first East Coast presence and by doing so brought 250 high paying tech jobs to the area. They selected the 4th floor of Bates Mill No. 1 which consists of 49,500 contiguous square feet. Built in the late 1850's Mill No. 1 is a heavy timber, brick and concrete structure that has stood the test of time over the past 170 years. Wood and brick were sandblasted and sealed to bring them back to their original condition. New windows were designed and built to replace the unrecoverable original windows. All utilities were left exposed and data was laid in exposed cable trays. Hung ceilings were allowed only in restroom areas. Original wood and glass partition walls were rebuilt and used through out the space.

Platz Associates also renovated the Pub at Baxter Brewing Co. and brought new life to a nearly 170-year-old textile mill that once employed 6,000 people but had been empty for decades. The design pays homage to the region’s rich manufacturing heritage and uses structural round timber poles and sawn heavy timber beams. Photo credit goes to Thomas Platz.

Hacker: Hacker is an architecture and interior design studio united by a call to create meaningful spaces that enrich the world—spaces that make us feel more connected to the landscape, each other and ourselves. These spaces in Oregon, pictured below, show how blending mass timber materials can elevate a design and space to further connect the viewer to the natural landscapes around them. 

The two projects highlighted above, the High Desert Museum (Bend, OR) and the Colombia Gorge Discovery Center & Historical Museum (The Dalles, OR) are designed to blend the stunning landscapes of Oregon into the interior spaces that celebrate the landscape, both in design and purpose.