Google Proves Reclaimed Lumber Can Safely Replace Virgin Material in Construction

Google's Hangar 3 project has reached a significant milestone in its use of reclaimed structural lumber. The tech giant is fabricating glulam columns from 6,000 board feet of Douglas fir salvaged out of a World War II blimp hangar at Moffett Federal Airfield. According to Hardy Wentzel, a mass timber consultant and partner on the project, this proves that reclaimed structural lumber can be safely returned to service at scale.

The columns are currently undergoing testing at Washington State University, but Google has already successfully reused 119,000 board feet of the salvaged wood from Hangar 3. This material is being used in various ways, including as cross-laminated panels for the building's face and bottom layers, which showcase the reclaimed timber while virgin lumber carries the primary load.

The project has also demonstrated a performance-based code pathway for structural reuse where prescriptive codes don't exist. Google set this method down in a 32-page white paper on reclaiming structural wood that names more than 25 firms and labs, from wood scientists at two universities to the demolition crew and hazard testers.

The success of Hangar 3 is part of a growing trend in mass timber use, with big technology firms taking up to 10% of all mass timber sold in the United States. Mercer Mass Timber, which is fabricating the glulam columns, runs three North American plants across Washington, Arkansas, and British Columbia.