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(photos by Claire Sims and Ashtyn Bryant)

Contributed to by Sasha Steinberg | Mississippi �鶹��ý University

Mississippi �鶹��ý’s School of Architecture recently hosted a on the Starkville campus.

Funded in part by a $10,000 Community Partnership Grant from internationally recognized nonprofit Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI), the event brought together architects, engineers, students, educators, researchers, timberland owners and forest product professionals, among others.

MSU Assistant Professor of Architecture Jacob A. “Jake” Gines said this first-of-its-kind event focused on mass-timber innovations and their potential application in the construction industry for Mississippi and the Southern region of the U.S.

“Mississippi contains approximately 19.8 million acres of forested land, which accounts for 64 percent of the state’s total area,” he said. “The value of timber harvested in Mississippi has averaged in excess of $1 billion per year over the past 20 years and accounts for over 70,000 jobs in the state.”

Gines said funding also was provided by a $12,000 grant from the Mississippi Forestry Foundation and other industry partners. This fall, the grant is enabling fourth-year undergraduate architecture students’ participation in a wood-based design studio.

Focusing on recent innovations in wood products and construction methods, the studio will culminate with a design competition in which students will craft plans for a mid-rise wood structure that could serve as a showcase for wood building design in Mississippi and an office space for the Mississippi Forestry Association. For more, visit