Nez Perce Clearwater Forest Service Supervisor’s Office
Project at a Glance
Type – Office building
Services Provided – Structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering; fire sprinkler and low-voltage design
Size – 15,000 sq. ft.
Cost – $9M
Completion Date – Fall 2021
The Nez Perce Clearwater Forest Service needed a new office building to serve as its home base in Kamiah, Idaho, for more than 70 permanent and seasonal USDA Forest Service employees.
This new building uses a cross-laminated timber (CLT) roof system that is supported by glue-laminated (GLT) timber beams and columns to highlight a variety of the wood products native to the area. It is the first in the United States to be recognized for the use of USDA Bio-Preferred CLT. Projections show that 159,400 board feet was installed on this project with a little more the 80 percent of it being CLT.
Innovative technologies like improved insulation, shaded windows that keep heat out in the summer and trap warm air in winter, and variable climate control are designed to minimize the building’s operating costs and exceed the most recent energy codes by 30 percent.
The Supervisor’s Office, designed by Mosaic Architects and constructed by Quality Contractors, LLC, showcases how wood can not only be an affordable and sustainable building material choice, but also enhance the architectural design of the structure.
