Auburn is partnering with the Air Force to develop deployable housing through a multidisciplinary effort that spans structural design, materials testing, prototype development, architecture, and building science, led by Auburn and conducted in collaboration with Battelle.

Battelle joins Auburn and the Air Force to build prototypes, with Auburn coordinating the project and integrating multiple disciplines from the College of Architecture, Design and Construction.

The project emphasizes end-of-life considerations—prioritizing disassembly, reuse, redeployment flexibility, and long-term cost reduction over fixed housing that cannot adapt to future needs.

A central design challenge is balancing strength, efficiency, and deployability, avoiding overbuilding and excessive mass, with researchers exploring efficient mass timber configurations and improved insulation rather to tailor performance.

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The effort aims to shift construction from on-site to prefabrication, cutting assembly time and increasing durability for harsh climates.

Current on-site labor for traditional light wood-frame housing is substantial, whereas mass timber aims to reduce on-site hours by moving more work to prefabrication.

The initiative seeks to replace traditional light wood-frame methods with mass timber to shorten on-site assembly and improve thermal performance for cold-weather deployments.

Design goals focus on rapid redeployment and reduced long-term costs while enabling collaboration across disciplines to meet real-world military needs.

Researchers are testing designs that optimize structural performance and insulation protection, using Auburn’s Advanced Structural Engineering Laboratory to verify strength, stiffness, and behavior, including end-of-life considerations.

Auburn Engineering and the U.S. Air Force are collaborating to redesign deployable military housing with mass timber for faster assembly and better thermal efficiency in cold-weather environments.

The project is led by Jim Davidson as PI, with co-PIs including David Roueche, Kadir Sener, Jake Elbrecht, and Kiel Moe, forming part of the Auburn Mass Timber Collaborative.