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Sustainable Architecture: Mass Timber Buildings

By: Benjamin Hsieh

Everyone wants to be safe. I too want to be able to feel at ease wherever I live. This idea of comfort encompasses financial comfort, mental health, and of course physical safety. One way that I think I could achieve this said comfort is if I lived in a building that was built sustainably. I am not just saying that because I am a part of EcoReps, but because I truly believe I would love every aspect of it.

First, covering financial comfort, living in sustainably built houses often means that they minimize the energy input going into the building itself, whether it be heating or cooling the house. This coincides with money saving since energy = money. In fact, some buildings are built so eco-friendly that they end up providing energy for other people in the community, and you can get reimbursed by the electric companies.

The second reason I would love to live in a sustainable house is they just look cool. One way to help be more sustainable is to use material such as wood, or mass timber, to be more environmentally friendly. Some examples of this could look like the following.

These pictures are just some of the examples of what the building can look like. Studies have shown that someone can benefit from the outdoors and natural scenery. It can help boost a person’s mood, supporting their mental health. I think that the rustic aesthetic of these mass timber buildings would definitely boost my mood because I love how it has a natural feel to it, which can easily intertwine with an aesthetic that includes natural greenery.

You might be wondering how these wooden structures are safe. I can assure you that they are extremely safe. This summer, I worked as a seismic design intern for these mass timber buildings. I have seen what goes into designing and building these wooden buildings, making sure they are up to standards, especially in the event of earthquakes. In fact, they may be safer in some ways than steel buildings. Mass timber buildings can have greater strength than steel ones, and are less rigid, which is better in the cases of earthquakes. I would be just as safe, if not safer in one of these mass timber buildings.

I highly suggest looking into sustainable architecture and sustainable houses when looking for a place to live. It can save you a lot of money, benefit your health, and they are just as safe. I encourage you to try to spot one of these sustainable buildings. Hopefully they will be everywhere sometime in the near future.

Senior Program Coordinator (SPC): The primary purpose of this position is to oversee the Assistant Program Coordinators and strategize overarching program goals. SPCs control the administrative aspects of the program and ensure APCs and EcoReps can be successful in their role. Jobs done by the SPC’s include: leading Tuesday meetings, leading weekly Leadership Meetings, facilitating collaboration with University partners, EcoRep hiring/firing, program budgeting, and developing the EcoReps Survival Guide.

SPC: Riley Wian

SPC: Ethan Sten

Assistant Program Coordinators (APC): The primary function of this position is to oversee their APC committee members (EcoReps) and manage the day to-day tasks of the program. Although EcoReps are encouraged to work with all committees and members, APCs will assign specific duties to their committee members. APCs will ensure project completion and regularly assess their committee members’ attendance and performance.

COMMITTEES:

Single Use Scaries and Earth Hour: Macy Miskiewicz
- This committee is responsible for planning the Single Use Scaries event in the Fall and Earth Hour in the Spring. Single-Use Scaries will be an event that showcases just how ~spooky~ single-use plastics are by theming programming around Halloween. In the Spring, the committee will plan the Earth Hour event. Mainly symbolic, the Earth Hour is a worldwide event that we commemorate as a way for Penn State to showcase how dedicated they are to sustainable practices. Hosted on Old Main lawn, we envision this event being our largest event, bringing the community together with food, games, and perhaps even live performances.

America Recycles Day and Earth Day: Pamela Li
- This committee is responsible for planning America Recycles Day in the Fall and PSreUsables in the Spring. This committee is also responsible for supporting Housing’s Trash 2 Treasure event. America Recycles Day is a nationally recognized holiday, held on November 15th, that will highlight and celebrate our commitment to recycling. In the Spring, this committee will run the PSreUsables campaign. PSreUsables is a fun, interactive DIY event focused on reusing and repurposing materials. Utilizing their crafting skills (or lack thereof), EcoReps will guide students through taking their recyclables and creating a totally unique piece with EcoReps.

Dining: Octavia Szkutnik
- This committee will be tasked with the continual growth of this Dining/Housing partnership through sustainability-related education and programming in the Dining Areas. Dining will be in charge of weekly events that take place in the dining halls. These events will cover PSreUse usage, sustainable eating habits, food waste, and proper disposal of food waste and dining materials. The dining committee’s primary focus will be in the dining halls instead of the residence halls during Thursdays. The dining committee will also plan two large scale events, one in the fall and one in the spring.

Community and Collaborations: Dora Courtney
- The Community and Collaborations committee will have three roles within the EcoReps program. The first of these is to foster a friendly and welcoming atmosphere within the program by designing and hosting small activities for every EcoRep to know each other better. The second role will see EcoReps partnering with other organizations to co-host events and continue to support a campus-wide sustainability culture. Finding the intersection between sustainability and what student clubs care about is what this committee does! The third role of this committee is to support existing Penn State staple events (possible events include THON, Homecoming, HackPSU, etc.) in becoming more sustainable. EcoReps will work with aspects of supply chain, waste management, and collaboration skills to show Penn State how much waste we can divert from these events.

Recruitment: Willem Einthoven
- This committee has two related, though separate, functions throughout the year. In the fall semester, the committee will focus on improving our recruitment strategy and developing new mediums to reach students. This may include info sessions, class visits, and general promotional programming. In the spring semester, this committee will focus on improving our interactions with EcoReps class students. This will have us in the classroom working with the class students as EcoReps mentors to guide them into the program. Although the EcoReps class is focused on teaching strategies and ideals, it is important to gradually introduce the program to the class rather than viewing them as separate entities. Doing so will ensure they start their job the following year fully prepared. This may also include the planning of the EcoReps class transition ceremony with the Leadership Team.

Marketing: Hailey Madara
- This committee is in charge of creating content for EcoRep events, advertising via social media, and networking. They are focused on three main platforms (Instagram, LinkedIn, Stall Stories). Instagram content is their “social outreach” where they post events, photos of committees, Meatless Monday, etc. LinkedIn is for “professional development” of the program to help showcase students efforts and passions at EcoReps. Stall Stories is the best way to reach and communicate to first year students via a flyer hung up in stalls of the East and Pollock dorms.
FYS Coordinator: Gabby Pinchot
RA Collaboration Coordinator: Sophie Marsh

Advisors for the program:

SI Advisor: Doug Goodstein
- As Associate Director for the Program, Doug works with the students year-round to ensure successful planning for the year and to get access to resources that EcoReps may need.
HFS Advisor: David Manos
Student Advisor: Alex King