Circular Construction Lab

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Contemporary structural design assumes access to standardized, pre-graded virgin lumber with predictable dimensions, species, and mechanical properties. Reclaimed wood, by contrast, arrives in non-standard cross-sections, reflects historic or site-specific milling practices, and rarely includes documentation of species, provenance, or prior use. Its condition may further be affected by aging, embedded fasteners, edge damage, and section loss during deconstruction. Structural reuse therefore requires new methods for assigning mechanical properties, accommodating dimensional variability, and designing with element populations that carry greater uncertainty than virgin timber.

The Circular Construction Lab first trialed such methods at architectural scale in Circulating Matters, combining species identification, mechanical testing, and residual-strength evaluation to derive preliminary structural design values for reclaimed lumber. Building on these insights, and in partnership with industry and engineering collaborators, we began developing GrooveLam, an engineered timber product manufactured from reused studs, joists, and rafters of varying sizes and lengths. GrooveLam addresses the central barrier to structural wood reuse, dimensional inconsistency, by assembling reclaimed elements into a composite section without losing their material identity, utility, or circularity.

Unlike glulam or Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), GrooveLam uses no permanent adhesives or intrusive fasteners. Instead, the system employs a precisely machined longitudinal shear interface coupled with reversible straps and/or wooden nails, enabling circular end-of-use strategies and preserving maximum value of the constituent elements. Phase 1 NYSERDA funding enabled validation of the product’s mechanical feasibility, optimization of section geometry, and a market assessment for deploying a New York State–based supply chain.