Skip to main content
editor@masterjournals.com | Master Journals Journal Home
Login Register

Current Research Journal of History

Peer Reviewed | Open Access | E-ISSN: 2767-472X
Published Article

Emergence of Computational Building Practices in Northwestern United States: Wood-Based Structures Within Automated Environments

Emergence of Computational Building Practices in Northwestern United States: Wood-Based Structures Within Automated Environments

Authors

  • Dr. Omar Al-Hakimi
    Department of Artificial Intelligence King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
  • Dr. Layla Al-Mansouri
    Department of Computer Science Qatar University Doha, Qatar

Keywords:

Computational construction automated fabrication mass timber

Abstract

The transformation of architectural production in the Northwestern United States reflects a convergence of computational design methodologies, automated fabrication processes, and the resurgence of wood-based construction systems. This research examines how computational building practices are reshaping the material, economic, and socio-technical dimensions of construction, particularly through the integration of mass timber within automated environments. The study situates this transformation within broader historical trajectories of mechanization and digitalization, highlighting how emerging technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), platform-based coordination systems, and data-driven fabrication pipelines are redefining the role of labor, material sourcing, and spatial production.

Drawing on interdisciplinary literature spanning architectural theory, digital labor studies, and control systems in built environments, this paper analyzes how automation interacts with regional ecological resources and industrial infrastructures. The Northwestern United States provides a unique context due to its historical reliance on timber economies and its contemporary position as a hub for digital innovation. The research identifies how computational workflows enable new forms of precision, scalability, and integration across design and construction phases, while also introducing new dependencies on data infrastructures and global supply chains.

The study further explores the implications of automation for labor restructuring, environmental sustainability, and regional economic development. While computational building practices promise efficiency and reduced material waste, they also raise concerns regarding labor displacement, technological centralization, and ecological externalities. Through critical analysis, the paper demonstrates that wood-based automated construction systems embody both opportunities and contradictions, particularly in balancing ecological benefits with industrial intensification.

The findings reveal that the integration of computational systems in timber construction is not merely a technological shift but a systemic reconfiguration of architectural production. The paper concludes by outlining future research directions, emphasizing the need for adaptive governance frameworks, equitable labor models, and sustainable material cycles to ensure that automated building practices contribute to resilient and inclusive development.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

A. T. Anderson, “Operation breakthrough housing in the pacific northwest,” Pacific Northwest Quart., vol. 112, no. 4, pp. 161–170, 2021.

P. F. Arantes, The Rent of Form: Architecture and Labor in the Digital Age. Minneapolis, MN, USA : Univ. of Minnesota Press, 2019.

“Autodesk.” Mackenzie. Accessed: Jan. 14, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://mackenzie.inc/project/autodesk

D. Beekman and D. Gutman, “Snoqualmie tribe says Forterra misled it, feds in $20M grant application,” Seattle Times, Sep. 30, 2022. Accessed: Oct. 17, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/times-watchdog/snoqualmie-tribe-says-forterra-misled-it-feds-in-20-million-grant-application/

A. Benanav, Automation and the Future of Work. London, U.K. : Verso, 2020.

K. Braun, C. Kropp, and Y. Boeva, “From digital design to data-assets: Competing visions, policy projects, and emerging arrangements of value creation in the digital transformation of construction,” Historical Social Res., vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 81–110, 2022, doi: 10.12759/hsr.47.2022.27.

Y. Boeva, K. Braun, and C. Kropp, “Platformization in the built environment: The political techno-economy of building information modeling,” Sci. Culture, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 146–173, 2024, doi: 10.1080/09505431.2023.2237042.

R. Boyd, Ed., Indians, Fire, and the Land in the Pacific Northwest. Chicago, IL, USA : Oregon State Univ. Press, 2022.

R. Broadhurst, B. Bergdoll, P. Christensen, and Museum of Modern Art (N.Y.), Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling. New York, NY, USA : Museum of Modern Art, 2008.

“Building PDX’s wooden roof, from forest to frame,” PDX Next, Aug. 13, 2024. Accessed: Mar. 17, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.pdxnext.com/Stories/Details/new-pdx-roof-from-forest-to-frame

J. Burrell, “On half-built assemblages: Waiting for a data center in Prineville, Oregon,” Engaging STS, vol. 6, pp. 283–305, Jun. 2020, doi: 10.17351/ests2020.447.

I. Burrington, “From war crystals to ordinary sand: Excavating silicon supply chains,” IEEE Ann. Hist. Comput., vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 13–23, Apr./Jun. 2024, doi: 10.1109/MAHC.2024.3378121.

Z. G. T. Cooper, “Of dog kennels, magnets, and hard drives: Dealing with Big Data peripheries,” Big Data Soc., vol. 8, no. 2, Jul. 2021, Art. no. 205395172110154, doi: 10.1177/20539517211015430.

W. Cronon, Nature’s Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West. New York, NY, USA : Norton, 1992.

S. Cubitt, Finite Media: Environmental Implications of Digital Technologies. Durham NC, USA : Duke Univ. Press, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.dukeupress.edu/finite-media

D. Davis, “Katerra’s $2 billion legacy,” Architect Mag., Jun. 18, 2021. Accessed: Jan. 03, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/katerras-2-billion-legacy_o

P. Deamer and P. G. Bernstein, Eds., Building (in) the Future: Recasting Labor in Architecture. New York, NY, USA : Princeton Architectural Press, 2010.

A. Duvernay, “Oregon project to expand mass timber production, industry jobs with $41.4M federal grant,” Register-Guard, Eugene, Sep. 06, 2022. Accessed: Apr. 03, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.registerguard.com/story/news/2022/09/06/oregon-mass-timber-coalition-build-back-better-regional-challenge/65475100007/

K. Elias, “Mercer’s mission: Cross-laminated timber maker plans $50M in upgrades,” Spokane J. Bus., May 19, 2022. Accessed: Mar. 17, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.spokanejournal.com/articles/578-mercer-s-mission-cross-laminated-timber-maker-plans-50m-in-upgrades

N. Ensmenger, “The environmental history of computing,” Technol. Culture, vol. 59, no. 4S, pp. S7–S33, Oct. 2018, doi: 10.1353/tech.2018.0148.

F. Floré, “Wood firm De Coene and the modern office,” Architectural Theory Rev., vol. 25, nos. 1–2, pp. 99–116, May 2021, doi: 10.1080/13264826.2021.1957961.

S. Giedion, Mechanization Takes Command. New York, NY, USA : Oxford Univ. Press, 1970.

T. Gordon, “Otis couple who lost home in wildfire to receive ‘Mass Casitas’ modular home,” kgw.com, Jan. 28, 2023. Accessed: Mar. 17, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/prototype-modular-home-goes-to-couple-who-lost-home-in-otis-wildfire/283-1c8a4e45-9185-47b4-800f-49271e41ea4e

B. Grad and D. Kasik, “CAD: Forming the industry,” IEEE Ann. Hist. Comput., vol. 46, no. 4, pp. 7–9, Oct./Dec. 2024, doi: 10.1109/MAHC.2024.3484016.

P. W. Hirt, A Conspiracy of Optimism: Management of the National Forests Since World War Two. Lincoln, NE, USA : Univ. of Nebraska Press, 1994.

M. Hogan, “Big data ecologies,” Ephemera: Theory Politics Org., vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 631–657, 2018. Accessed: Dec. 04, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://ephemerajournal.org/contribution/big-data-ecologies

L. Irani, “Justice for ‘data janitors’,” Public Books, Jan. 15, 2015. [Online]. Available: http://www.publicbooks.org/nonfiction/justice-for-data-janitors

I. Katz, “Mobile colonial architecture: Facilitating settler colonialism’s expansions, expulsions, resistance, and decolonisation,” Mobilities, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 213–237, Apr. 2022, doi: 10.1080/17450101.2021.2000838.

S. Kieran and J. Timberlake, Refabricating Architecture. New York, NY, USA; London, U.K. : McGraw-Hill, 2004.

N. Langston, Forest Dreams, Forest Nightmares: The Paradox of Old Growth in the Inland West. Seattle, WA, USA : Univ. of Washington Press, 1995.

L. Lee, “How mass timber could help reduce wildfire risk,” Metropolis, Dec. 09, 2020. Accessed: Mar. 17, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://metropolismag.com/viewpoints/mass-timber-wildfire/

A. M. Levenda and D. Mahmoudi, “Silicon forest and server farms: The (urban) nature of digital capitalism in the pacific northwest,” Culture Mach., vol. 18, pp. 1–14, 2019.

E. Loomis, Empire of Timber: Labor Unions and the Pacific Northwest Forests (Studies in Environment and History). New York, NY, USA : Cambridge Univ. Press, 2016.

R. Martin, The Organizational Complex: Architecture, Media, and Corporate Space. Cambridge, MA, USA : MIT Press, 2003.

K. Marx, Capital: A Critique of Political Economy. London, U.K. : Penguin, 1981.

“Cross-laminated timber (CLT) introduction,” Katerra, Menlo Park, CA, USA, Fall 2019. [Online]. Available: https://assets2.katerra.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/01154806/Katerra-CLT-Introduction-1.pdf