Helping the Construction Industry Pursue Mass Timber

It is rare to see the construction industry so significantly and positively impacted by a new building system as we are witnessing with mass timber. After experiencing momentum internationally for a couple decades, products such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glue-laminated timber (glulam) are being used widely enough, supported by enough research, testing and performance data, that they are permitted prescriptively in projects up to 18 stories under the 2021 International Building Code (IBC).

My organization, WoodWorks, provides education and free technical support related to commercial and multi-family wood buildings. In 2015, we had assisted on a handful of U.S. mass timber projects. As of September 2021, more than 1,200 of these projects were built or under construction across the country. This includes Ascent in Milwaukee, which has 19 stories of mass timber over a six-story concrete podium. Developed by New Land Enterprises and built by C.D. Smith Construction, Ascent will, for a short time, be the tallest timber building in the world.

In 2019, to help the construction side of the business increase its knowledge of and comfortability with mass timber systems, WoodWorks also launched a Construction Management Program with two main elements: construction management education and installer training.

Project management curriculum is offered by WoodWorks to individuals who estimate, procure, and manage new commercial and multi-family projects in the U.S. Mass timber installer training is offered in partnership with various entities and targets crew leaders and installers who physically build structures.

Acceptance of mass timber has been accelerated by its benefits, including sustainability, light carbon footprint, construction speed, and the biophilic attributes of exposed wood structure—which can translate into higher leasing velocity. However, while a great deal of information has been available on the design and engineering of these structures, two information gaps were creating a barrier to its use, both related to the relative newness of the market.

First, without data from a critical mass of market-driven projects, there has been little to substantiate the business case for mass timber in various building sub-types. At the other end of the project spectrum, general contractors were adding premiums to their bids to cover the risk of an unfamiliar building system, in many cases pricing it out of the running. WoodWorks has been working to address both issues.

To increase the availability and transparency of financial performance, we introduced an ongoing series of mass timber business case studies. Prepared collaboratively with Conrad Investment Management and project developers, these case studies discuss qualitative influences and provide quantitative data to examine investment success, challenges and lessons learned. The current package, released in October 2021, includes two speculative office developments, a multi-family development, and a multi-family redevelopment/addition. Additional case studies are underway.

There are currently five installer training programs in place with carpenter training centers and several others in development, and Woodworks is seeking more entities interested in offering programs. A partnership has also been established to offer training through a university construction management department.

WoodWorks’ new U.S. Mass Timber Construction Manual supports both areas of the program. Available at no cost, the manual gives contractors and installers a framework for the planning, procurement and management of mass timber projects. It also provides a bridge for those experienced with other structural systems, as mass timber draws installation techniques from other construction types. Those with concrete, precast and tilt-up experience are all well positioned to adapt to the mass timber family of products, which, in addition to CLT and glulam, includes nail-laminated timber (NLT) and dowel-laminated timber (DLT). That said, understanding how mass timber differs from other systems is key to cost efficiency.

Cost estimating mass timber systems requires a holistic approach; a direct comparison of one structural frame to another will not provide an accurate overall comparison. Mass timber has the potential to significantly shave time off construction schedules and has other benefits (such as the noted potential for leasing velocity) that can impact project costs. OurMass Timber Cost and Design Optimization Checklists is another useful resource for developers and contractors pursuing mass timber projects.

WoodWorks held the first CLT symposium in the U.S. in 2013 and, since then, has helped hundreds of project teams realize successful mass timber buildings (at no cost to them). It is also a leading provider of education and resources related to wood buildings, including the Mass Timber Design Manual developed in partnership with Think Wood. Last year, WoodWorks also launched a new online platform, the WoodWorks Innovation Network (WIN), which includes a map of mass timber projects built or under construction across the U.S. (and beyond) and information on their project teams.

To request free technical support on a mass timber project, contact your local WoodWorks regional director.For more information on installer training or university construction management partnerships, email me atbrandon.brooks@woodworks.org.