The use of mass timber in design and construction delivers benefits for everyone involved, particularly the end users. Staci Brinson, Risk Management & Education Specialist, 色多多视频Design Professional, looks at what’s behind this natural trend.
Owners of various types of projects, including hospitals and medical clinics, college residence halls and academic buildings, and sports facilities, are increasingly turning to mass timber. This choice not only enhances the aesthetic appeal of these spaces but also protects the environment. In an era when sustainability and innovation are paramount in design, mass timber has emerged as a versatile material that’s increasing in popularity in both the U.S. and Canada.
What is mass timber?
Mass timber is a family of engineered wood products that are manufactured by attaching smaller wood pieces to one another to create larger and stronger structural pieces. The two major types currently used in North American design and construction are cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glue-laminated timber (GLT, or glulam). These engineered wood products are beginning to transform the construction and design landscape with their environmental benefits, structural capabilities, and aesthetic appeal.
As the public and developers become more focused on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals and sustainability, mass timber is becoming a more visible and requested material. As of March 2024, according to the industry organization WoodWorks, 2,115 multi-family, commercial, or institutional mass timber projects were in progress or built in the U.S. The Canadian government reports that there were 750 completed or under-construction mass timber projects from 2007 to 2022.
Reasons for the trend
Communiqué spoke with Joe Vierling, AXA XL’s Senior Vice President – Builders Risk, and Kristen Hoskinson, Vice President, National Master Builders Risk Team Leader in Construction Property, about the unique benefits of designing and building with mass timber. “Mass timber is an attractive alternative to traditional construction materials like steel and concrete, which have significant carbon footprints,” Vierling says. “Because it’s made from sustainably harvested wood, it sequesters carbon dioxide. Forests harvested for timber production can be continually renewed, which supports biodiversity and forest health.”
There are other, less-obvious benefits as well. “Our data shows that using mass timber creates 90-percent less construction traffic and uses 70-percent fewer workers, while projects are completed 25-percent faster than those using traditional materials,” Hoskinson says. Timber is lighter than steel and concrete, which reduces the load on foundations and allows for easier handling. Large timber beams can support a significant load and withstand fire, due to their charring properties that form a protective layer when exposed to flames.
Beyond the environmental benefits, mass timber offers a unique aesthetic, as it uses the natural warmth and texture of wood to create an inviting space. Vierling and Hoskinson say that most mass timber projects they see use a hybrid approach—a mix of traditional steel and concrete in conjunction with wood.
Spaces featuring mass timber are often those where the public gathers, such as an atrium in a healthcare facility or a lobby in an academic building. Vierling and Hoskinson say they’ve seen mass timber primarily being used in such spaces, but that designers are using these wood products in a variety of projects, like the Ascent Tower, a 25-story mixed-use residential tower in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is the tallest mass timber building in the world to date. Another recent example of using mass timber is about 1,100 miles south of Milwaukee in San Antonio, Texas.
These engineered wood products deliver environmental benefits, structural capabilities, and aesthetic appeal.
Mass timber meets the NBA
When San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama (known to fans as “Wemby”) needs to stretch out his 7-feet, 4-inches-tall frame after a full day of practice, he can tap into the restorative power of natural light and exposed wood in any of several areas within the team’s Victory Capital Performance Center. The Spurs’ practice facility, opened in time for the 2023-24 season, exemplifies how mass timber is transforming many types of buildings for the better.
According to the project’s lead architect, ZGF’s Kathy Berg, the decision to use mass timber wherever possible in the building wasn’t made on a whim. “We studied the area’s vernacular architecture and realized that stone and wood were common building materials in the city’s earliest years,” Berg says. “That inspired us to use mass timber, which we also appreciated for its properties for health and human performance.”
The Center includes locker rooms, training rooms, kitchens and dining rooms, work environments for up to 70 staff, and of course, basketball courts. Berg says the hybrid design made use of different elements according to which was most suitable. “We used concrete for the underground parking garage and for a series of vertical walls that support some of the timber ceilings,” she says. “We used glulam throughout the building as columns in the courts and beams that span the long spaces. Cross-laminated timber technology allowed us to span say, 15 or 20 feet farther than with wood, so we used it for the roof deck above the glulam beams.”
Asked about wood’s association with fire in many people’s minds, Berg says, “Building codes acknowledge that whether you're building with steel, concrete, or wood, a building has to be safe for the occupants and provide plenty of time to exit if a fire breaks out.”
Another aspect of using wood is a decrease in the amount of carbon-intensive concrete. “The biggest advantage to wood is that it's faster to install and lighter, so we don't have to put as much concrete into the foundations,” Berg says. Mass timber is also helping advance the industry’s carbon goals. “Because the timber continues to hold the carbon, rather than releasing it into the atmosphere through decomposition or fire in the forest,” Berg says, “it’s helping us move toward zero-carbon buildings.” ZGF makes sure the timber is harvested sustainably and comes from forests that are maintained to be healthy in the long term.
While there is still some concern in the industry about the cost of using mass timber, Berg says once clients and contractors work with it, they want to use it again. “When contractors see how fast it installs and clients see how beautiful it is,” she says, “they quickly become converts.” Berg adds that the Spurs are “absolutely thrilled” with their new facility. “I don’t think we can claim any credit for Wemby being honored as NBA Rookie of the Year, but we’d like to think the design played a small role in the team’s health and well-being,” she says.
As the use of mass timber in design and construction continues to grow, so will its impact on risk management and insurance. 色多多视频Design Professional is closely tracking these issues and we encourage our policyholders to work with your brokers and legal counsel to tailor your professional services agreements to each project. In the meantime, you may want to consider mass timber’s many advantages, including visual appeal, as a way of expanding your firm’s capabilities and attracting new clients.
Photos:
left: Construction begins at the San Antonio Spurs’ practice facility, the Victory Capital Performance Center. Image credit: Timberlyne
right: One of the basketball courts at the Victory Capital Performance Center. Image credit: Dror Baldinger
