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Research Demonstration House and Carriage House
| Research on wood-frame housing has been integral to the research program at the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) since 1910. To further these efforts, FPL established the Advanced Housing Research Center (AHRC) in 2001. The AHRC has grown beyond its initial emphasis on cooperation between federal agencies to include a wide range of both public and private cooperators. |
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| FPL has constructed two full-scale structures for research and educational activities: the Research Demonstration House and the Carriage House. Both structures allow researchers to conduct housing-related studies in an applied setting, extending knowledge obtained in laboratory modeling environments. | ||
| The Research Demonstration House and the Carriage House have expanded FPL collaborations with industry, academia, and other government entities. The first full-scale housing structure at FPL was built in the late 1930s to evaluate moisture distribution and temperature gradients in wood-framed walls. Interestingly, the Research Demonstration House and Carriage House are located where the original landowner's farmhouse and outbuildings stood prior to construction of the current FPL main building in 1932. |
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| Please keep in mind that these structures were designed and built to represent a "typical" cold-climate structure for research purposes, not a "perfect" structure. Also, the FPL housing research program is dynamic. Changes occur periodically that affect the nature of the research and the appearance of the structures. On behalf of all the partners and many FPL employees who developed and continue to work on the Research Demonstration House and the Carriage House, we thank you and invite your questions and comments. |
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| Name | Role | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas G. Williamson | Executive Vice President (retired) | APA - The Engineered Wood Association |
| Catherine Marx Kake | Senior Director, Engineered & Framing Markets | Southern Pine Council |
| Michael A. Ritter | Assistant Director | USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory |
| Martin R. Yoklic | Research Scientist | Environmental Research Laboratory - University of Arizona |
| John R. (Rusty) Dramm | Program Manager (Acting), Technology Marketing Unit | USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory |