Mass Ply: Solution for Rebuilding Homes Quickly and Safely After Wildfires
LYONS, Ore., Mar. 18, 2025 – As wildfires grow more severe and widespread, homeowners and developers are seeking fire-resistant building materials for residential construction, and especially post-wildfire rebuilds. Following rigorous, third-party testing, Freres Engineered Wood’s Mass Ply Panels (MPP) provide an exceptional solution for fire hardening homes, offering a slower char rate and more consistent fire performance than concrete, steel and even some alternative lumber-based mass timber products.
OSU Publishes Report on Mass Ply Panel Point-Supported Slab Testing
LYONS, Ore., Feb. 13, 2025 – A new study from Oregon State University (OSU) confirms that Freres Engineered Wood’s Mass Ply Panels (MPP) can now be used in a wider range of multi-family buildings, such as apartments, hotels and dormitories. OSU’s Research on Engineering, Architecture & Construction of Timber Structures (REACTS) Consortium conducted a series of tests with full-scale MPP to see how well they could sustain different structural layouts. Test findings, released on January 24, indicated that Freres’ point-supported slab allows the widest and longest column grid spacing with the thinnest panel compared to all other mass timber products.
Freres Donates $475K to Community in 2024
LYONS, Ore., Dec. 16, 2024 – The Freres Foundation and Freres Engineered Wood are proud to support local schools, nonprofits and their community, with charitable contributions totaling approximately $475,000 in 2024. This reflects the family’s long-standing commitment to give back to the community, which has cared for them for over 100 years.
Lane Community College’s Latest Education Center Will Open by Thanksgiving
LYONS, Ore., Nov. 12, 2024 – Lane Community College (LCC) in Eugene, Oregon, will open the Industry and Trades Education Center (ITEC) to students this Winter 2025 term. This innovative mass timber and steel hybrid building will provide a “workforce and advanced technology hub” focused on career technical education and apprenticeship programs. The primary structural components of the new facility are exposed steel beams and Freres Engineered Wood’s Mass Ply Panels (MPP), complementing the programs offered.
Freres Wood’s Latest Projects Demonstrate Wood Can Replace Steel and Concrete in Warehouse Construction
LYONS, Ore., Oct. 16, 2024 – This October 2024, Freres Engineered Wood celebrated the
completion of two significant buildings, Stayton High School’s new Ty Hart Memorial Fitness
Center and Freres Wood’s mass timber warehouse. Each project showcases wood’s capacity to
compete with traditional steel and concrete construction methods for industrial warehouse
projects, representing yet another sustainable improvement in the larger construction industry.
Cascada, Portland’s New Luxury Hotel and Spa, Will Feature Mass Ply
LYONS, Ore., Sept. 16, 2024 – Freres Wood’s Mass Ply products are making their way into
Portland’s luxury hotel scene this Fall. Cascada, Portland’s latest luxury hotel and spa, is
opening soon and will feature Freres Engineered Wood’s innovative Mass Ply products. Thanks
to a series of energy-efficient design choices, the state-of-the-art hybrid mass timber
development will achieve LEED Platinum certification, the highest sustainability ranking
available from the world’s most recognized green building rating system.
PDX Terminal Featuring Mass Ply Will Open August 14
LYONS, Ore., Aug. 13, 2024 – The grand opening of PDX’s new state-of-the-art terminal will
occur on August 14, revealing a 9-acre mass timber roof, built with 400,000 square feet of
Freres Engineered Wood’s innovative Mass Ply Panels (MPP). Freres Wood is a leading
engineered wood products manufacturer, excited to showcase the unmatched quality and
design of their sustainable Mass Ply products in the new PDX terminal.
California is the First to Adopt Building Codes Limiting Embodied Carbon; Freres Engineered Wood’s Mass Ply Can Help Builders Adapt
LYONS, Ore., July 16, 2024 – As of July 1, 2024, California became the first state in the nation
to adopt mandatory building code measures to reduce embodied carbon emissions from the
construction industry. Freres Engineered Wood, a leading engineered wood manufacturer in
Oregon, has designed a series of mass timber products called Mass Ply that allows California
builders to drastically cut embodied carbon emissions without sacrificing the structural integrity
of their buildings.
NHERI Project Concludes Final Tests of Mass Timber Building
LYONS, Ore., Mar. 18, 2024 – Final testing of the Natural Hazards Engineering Research
Infrastructure (NHERI) Converging Design Project officially concluded on March 1, 2024. The
project evaluated the functional recovery of a six-story mass timber structure, which included
Mass Ply Panels by Freres Engineered Wood, by subjecting the specimen to a series of
simulated earthquakes on the world’s largest outdoor shake table. Researchers are now
consolidating the results of the project to provide valuable data that will inform future building
codes.