Panel discusses growing adoption of mass timber

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Mass timber is quickly growing in scale as a preferred building material throughout North America, panelists said during a discussion on Thursday.

A tally maintained by the Wood Products Council, an industry group, counted 598 projects using mass timber in the design stage in North America in December 2020. Another 462 projects were built or under construction.

“There’s a mass-timber wave that is pulling through North America right now,” said Paul Fast, founder of structural design firm Fast + Epp.

The event, held virtually, was organized by CityAge and the Daily Journal of Commerce. Local panelists included Thomas Robinson, founder of LEVER Architecture, and Brad Nile, project executive at Andersen Construction.

Mass timber – a catchall term for products such as cross-laminated timber and mass plywood – has caught on as an environmentally friendly alternative to concrete. Proponents cite its lower carbon footprint and warm aesthetics.

Portland emerged in recent years as a center of mass timber in the United States, with an ecosystem of architects, developers, manufacturers and timber-industry boosters helping raise its profile. California, Washington and Oregon are the top three states for mass-timber building, according to the Wood Products Council.

“More and more we’re seeing clients who want to explore mass timber as the go-to option,” said Lucas Epp, head of engineering at StructureCraft in British Columbia.

Some developers are choosing mass timber because it accelerates construction, said Nathan Torgelson, director of the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections. In high-cost West Coast cities, a shorter timeline can mean significant savings, he said.

“We’re seeing that as a major advantage,” he said.

Several cross-laminated-timber projects are in review or under construction in Seattle. These include a Capitol Hill affordable-housing project; an 18-story residential project, also in Capitol Hill; and an eight-story office building in the South Lake Union neighborhood, Torgelson said.

Cross-laminated timber will have its largest U.S. project to date at Walmart headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. The retail giant is planning to use more than 1.7 million cubic feet of mass timber on several office buildings. Canada’s Structurlam is building a manufacturing plant in Arkansas to supply the material.

Different clients have different goals, which can lead to use of different materials, Robinson said. Mass timber is not just CLT, he noted, but also dowel-laminated timber, mass plywood and other products.

“It’s really a family of products, and understanding which member of the family to use in a particular project is very important,” Robinson said.

LEVER Architecture designed two mass-timber buildings totaling 460,000 square feet for Adidas’ North American headquarters in North Portland. The buildings were completed last year.

Robinson said more mass-timber buildings will be built as people see them in person.

“People are seeing the advantages and experiencing it as a space,” he said.