Unveiling Challenges in the Future of Mass Timber within the Construction Industry

Mass timber has been introduced as part of the construction industry's efforts to contribute to a more environmentally friendly future. However, challenges are becoming visible as time passes in utilizing this material, including its expenditures, regulations, and climate change.

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Challenges to the Future of Mass Timber in the Construction Industry

Mass timber construction is a more energy-efficient alternative than high-rise and commercial structures. Steel and concrete have a larger carbon footprint than wood, a natural, renewable, and sustainable material that can be used for construction. Aside from the fact that it positively influences the environment, it has also been demonstrated to be structurally robust and to fulfill the same criteria of performance and life safety as concrete and steel structures.

On Monday, Jan. 29, homeowner and contractor Hines announced they had finished work on a residential and office structure in East Austin, Texas, which was three stories tall and included 92,000 square feet of land. Mass timber is the primary material used to construct the structure, known as T3 ATX Eastside.

On the other hand, Hines's adoption of mass wood is an exciting exception. The construction industry may give mass timber projects a lot of attention, but they only account for a small portion of the overall construction activity. With 2,035 mass timber developments or multifamily properties, commercial and institutional, underway or completed in the U.S. as of December 2023, Woodwork, The Wood Building Council estimates.

According to Steve Cavanaugh, principal and design lead for DLR Group, his company now incorporates mass timber into discussions on every one of their projects. He further explains that whether DLR Group prefers mass timber relies on several factors, including the building's size and function, code compliance, and zoning. There is also the issue of cost. Optimizing the structure, value, and financial sustainability takes a lot of time.

Moreover, Structurelam, a renowned mass wood maker, filed for bankruptcy the previous year after Walmart terminated a lucrative supply contract for its 350-acre Home Office site in Arkansas. This circumstance highlighted how unpredictable this particular market segment can be. Mercer Mass Timber, the largest mass timber maker in North America, purchased Structurelam for a price that was a little higher than $8 million. In 2024, Mercer Mass Timber reportedly had an order book worth approximately $100 million, as reported by its parent company, Mercer International.

Also Read: Influence of Zoning on Construction Planning

Development of Mass Timber

In the 1990s, cross-laminated timber (CLT) development facilitated the globalization of mass timber building, which originated in Austria and Germany during the 1970s. In recent years, North America has emerged as an emergent market for mass timber construction. CLT refers to a classification of engineered wood products produced through the compression and adhesion of three or more layers of wood measuring at least three millimeters in thickness.

This process enables the fabrication of these components off-site and their application as load-bearing structural columns, beams, and large wood panels. Fasteners or adhesives are utilized to secure the logs in place. Despite its substantially lower weight, mass timber can be constructed to achieve strength ratings comparable to concrete and steel.

Accordingly, mass timber is a material that can be used as a substitute for carbon-intensive materials used in construction, such as steel and concrete. It can also be a supplementary or replacement material in complete timber frame structures. In addition, contractors utilize essential manual tools and minimal heavy machinery to complete on-site assembly. When the lumber is not burned or destroyed, it has the potential to prevent carbon from being released into the atmosphere. 

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