Pei has had an affinity for wood for 20 of his 44 years. “It’s a natural material that is close to art and architecture,” says the associate professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.

The TallWood researchers expect to publish design guidelines by the end of the year for the resilient post-tensioned wall system.  

For third generation carpenter Russ Brotnov and his tight-knit Carpentry Plus Inc. team, it’s long been a family affair.