Syracuse University’s Sustainable Enterprise Partnership (SEP), in cooperation with the U.S. Green Building Council awarded $19,000 to fund new research in the area of green building construction methods, specifically cross laminated timber (CLT) wood products in multi-family housing.
Rene Germain, professor of forest and natural resources management at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF), and Patrick Penfield, professor of supply chain practice at the Whitman School of Management, will conduct the research, which will focus on the use of sustainable structural wood in multifamily housing and commercial structures. Specifically, the researchers will examine the regulatory, political and economic barriers that contribute to the lack of adoption of CLT in construction projects. CLT is an environmentally friendly, cost-effective, quality product.
“Using CLT in commercial buildings, rather than concrete, masonry or steel provides significant supply chain, environmental and cost benefits for companies and organizations in the U.S.,” says Penfield. “Our research will be useful to the U.S. Green Building Council to share with its members who may not be aware of all the benefits of CLT.”
To promote research in sustainable enterprise, the SEP annually awards a grant of up to $20,000, which may be used for stipends, research assistants, materials, travel and other expenses. All faculty, Ph.D. students and other researchers from Syracuse University, SUNY ESF and the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems (SyracuseCoE) with interest in sustainable buildings and infrastructure are invited to apply. In keeping with the SEP’s emphasis on transdisciplinary collaboration and integration, investigators from at least two disciplines are required for each proposal. Projects that are highly likely to have a meaningful impact—publication in a reputably scholarly or practitioner journal, attracting external support, and/or practical implementation—are given priority.
The Sustainable Enterprise Partnership links the extraordinary resources of four Central New York institutions—the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Whitman School of Management, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems—to offer world-class education and research on sustainable enterprise and provide transdisciplinary understanding of sustainability.
