Mass Timber Realities: Birth Pangs of an Industry

Crafting our buildings out of timber offers us a bridge back to working in balance with our climate and connects us with the environments that wood comes from. Timber, when sourced wisely and used well, offers natural beauty exposed without additional finishes, a material imbued with heritage tied to its species and place, and typically a lower embodied carbon than any other structural material. Imagine a future in our industry where all those considerations were balanced and understood as equally desirable!

I believe these benefits are becoming more valued, and it’s exciting to see this new form of timber-driven architecture finding its footing and taking shape. This is a moment that offers the architecture profession a chance to link its practice more fully with craft and natural authenticity.

I think it’s also fair to say that the premium on mass timber compared with steel and concrete is shrinking as large-scale timber buildings become more normalized in the market.

All of this is positive in terms of the growth of timber construction and the burgeoning of the business networks needed to support it. In just this first real decade of widespread mass timber adoption in the United States, we have witnessed a sustained increase in manufacturing, design, and construction, starting in the West and expanding increasingly into the Southeast and Northeast. The results have been stunning, with a cascade of innovative approaches being tested in real time, and the inherent beauty of exposed wood being lauded by designers and clients alike.

Mass Timber’s growth has not been accumulative though. Growth is not linear, and resources cannot always be shifted to meet new needs quickly. In recent years, we have seen some manufacturers coming, going, and consolidating. Tariffs on Canadian wood and the pandemic-fueled homeowner lumber craze of 2020 have led to volatility, and many rural mills in the Pacific Northwest have closed due to the lack of a strong local labor force and additional costs tied to inflation and increased regulations. Demand signals have been sent across the country that mass timber is a valuable asset to build, but perceived cost premiums and some trepidation by the insurance industry have created headwinds.

The impacts of these headwinds have contributed to higher costs, occasional schedule disruptions, and some client-hesitancy about pursuing timber. This, in turn, becomes a bit of a vicious circle: the industry can’t advance without projects to drive activity, so any stumble in one area can carry the danger of spreading and slowing progress as a whole.

The good news is that we have learned a lot in these years, and completed timber projects are gaining enormous attention and gaining strong performance metrics and satisfaction scores. There are meaningful conversations being had with and within the insurance industry, and despite the shifting political realities in our country, there are still a raft of institutions and private corporations committed to meeting their ambitious climate goals—goals that can’t be met without low embodied construction approaches (such as mass timber). As we in the design and construction world continue to refine our use of timber—and as more and more of the public experiences these wonderful buildings and demands more—we will push this industry forward in positive, productive ways.