Mass Timber Market Updates - Apr 2025 - Week Fourteen

Sustainable construction reaches new heights as we explore groundbreaking mass timber projects transforming skylines worldwide. The architectural landscape is dramatically shifting toward renewable materials, with Boston University's ambitious 12-story Global Studies building leading the charge as the East Coast's largest mass timber structure. This stunning Diller Scofidio + Renfro creation promises expanded green spaces and innovative climate systems when construction begins in 2026.

Across the border, Canada continues pioneering tall timber construction with two Toronto marvels: the T3 Bayside development stands as North America's tallest mass timber office building at 42 meters, while Limberlost Place at George Brown College welcomes students as Ontario's first tall timber institutional building. Both structures demonstrate how sustainable materials can create beautiful, high-performance spaces in urban settings.

The corporate world embraces this revolution too, with Walmart's headquarters campus in Bentonville now boasting the largest mass timber application in the United States. As Mercer Mass Timber's Nick Milestone explains, these projects deliver impressive environmental benefits—including 20-40% reduced carbon emissions compared to traditional materials—while creating stunning workplaces. Meanwhile, New Zealand has announced an ambitious $4 billion, 75,000-seat stadium in Rotorua that will showcase mass timber's structural possibilities in large-scale venues. These developments across educational, commercial, and recreational sectors signal a fundamental shift in construction priorities toward sustainability without sacrificing beauty or function.

Join our growing community of sustainable building enthusiasts by subscribing to the podcast, sharing our content, and connecting with us on LinkedIn to see the stunning renders of these revolutionary projects. Have you spotted an innovative mass timber project we should cover? Submit information to our research division—we're always looking for the next breakthrough in sustainable construction!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Ladies and gentlemen, we are live.
This is the moment you all havebeen waiting for.
It's time for the globalsensation, the one, the only,

(00:22):
the undisputed heavyweightpodcast in the world the Mass
Timber Construction Podcast.
And now here's Paul Kramer,your host.

(00:48):
Good morning, good afternoon orgood evening wherever you are
in the world today, welcome tothe Mass Timber Construction
Podcast.
My name's Paul Kramer, yourhost.
Welcome to another episode ofMass Timber News from around the
world.
I hope that you had a greattime in Portland.
It's now time to dig into themiddle of 2025, with daylight

(01:09):
savings changing here inAustralia and in the Northern
Hemisphere.
I hope that your summer is warm.
I hope that our winter is alsowarm and not so cold.
Let's have a look at what'smaking news around the world
this week.
In Masatima Construction Landand Boston University, bu Today
has an expose of their fiveyears of planning of Pardee's

(01:33):
new home for their GlobalStudies School.
The 12-story building on BayState Road is the largest
Masatima building on the EastCoast and will include more
green spaces near the BU beach.
Diller, schofield and Renfrohave done an amazing render
showing the superstructure ofthe building made out of mass

(01:55):
timber and the facade systemwith its exterior envelope, its
electric radiant heating systemand cooling system and its green
spaces.
If you'd like to have a look atthis 118 million canadian
dollar project, which is set tostart in march 2026, you can

(02:15):
head to our linkedin feed andhave a look at the renders as
you wish.
And heinz t3 bayside is apioneering building in Toronto's
new mixed-use community.
The bayside, on the shore ofLake Ontario, is 42 meters high
and the tallest officedevelopment building in North
America.
Ambitious project sets a newstandard for sustainable

(02:45):
construction for world-classoffice spaces, reflecting the
integrated live-work-play ethosof the emerging Bayside
community.
If you want to have a look atthe amazing images from this
project, please head to ourLinkedIn feed.
And staying in Canada and LimbaLost Place, a new 10-story
building on George Brown'scampus, waterfront Campus in
downtown Toronto achievedoccupancy in January this year.

(03:09):
It's Ontario's first talltimber institutional building.
As furnishings and furnitureare now being installed, the
facility is scheduled to welcomestudents for the first fall
class in 2026.
Formerly known as the arbor,the building has now been
renamed as limberlost forest andwildlife reserve near

(03:30):
huntsville, following donationsto the college of eight million
dollars in 2015 and 10 milliondollars in 2021 by the reserve's
chair, canadian business leaderand philanthropist, jack
cockwell.
The 52.5 meter tall building,20,903 square meter structure,

(03:50):
whose design was unveiled backin 2018 and, yes, we reported it
back then, not on the podcast,but certainly on LinkedIn
relocates the space of Jawbrownstudents into the facilities to
house the college's School ofComputing Technology,
particularly the School ofArchitectural Technology, and
Tallwood Research Institute.

(04:12):
You can have a look at theimpressive images of the
completed project if you head toour LinkedIn feed.
And bridging the divide betweenCanada and North America Mercer
Mass Timber has announced thisweek it has completed the mass
timber production for thebuildings in the Walmart Home
Office campus in Bentonville.
They completed the campus withthe largest use of mass timber

(04:35):
in the United States.
In the company news release,nick Milestone, a good friend of
the podcast and personal friendof mine, who is the Senior Vice
President of Mercer, said theproject showcases how mass
timber can be used in commercialconstruction.
Vice president of Mercer saidthe project showcases how mass
timber can be used in commercialconstruction.
They're proud of Walmart'ssustainability vision and
demonstrate how locallyeco-friendly materials can be
produced to provide beautiful,creative, high-performance

(04:58):
workplaces.
Mercer's Conway facilitysupplied the CLT and the GLT to
the project began last springand it only just happened now.
Mass timbers environmentalconstruction benefits include 20
to 40 percent reduction incarbon emissions compared to
traditional materials, fasterinstallation with prefabricated

(05:18):
components and a strong fireresistance with enhanced safety
and style with the appropriatefire engineering.
And, of course, beautifulmaterial that is renewable.
Congratulations to everyoneworking on the Walmart project
and to Mercer Mass Timber andthe Conway plant and all the
people that work there and in astring of mass timber produced

(05:41):
mainly glue, laminated timberand other sustainable materials,
series of stadiums, includingseveral in australia and a
couple around the world, rotaruain new zealand has now
announced it is going to becomethe latest entrant into the
iconic sporting venue.

(06:02):
75 000 meter seat nationaloutdoor stadium is going to be
built along the shore of lakerotarua.
Construction will begin inearly 2026.
It's expected to take two years.
It's a four billion dollarproject and it will be using
mass timber.
The renders are out right now.
You can have a look at theamazing stadium and how the

(06:24):
project is going to cometogether in the next couple of
years.
It is going to feature anamazing acoustic engineered
digital connectivity through thevenue, with a host of
impressive amphitheater styleseating and a retractable roof
which will be produced usingreliable mass timber.

(06:48):
If you'd like to look at therenders, please head to our
LinkedIn feed.
And that's it, folks.
That's all we've got time forthis week in mass timber
construction land.
We hope that you're having agreat week and that we hope that
your summer or spring in thenorthern hemisphere brings you
much sunshine and joy, and wehope that us in the southern
hemisphere experience a mildwinter not too bad and we look

(07:11):
forward to catching up with younext week on the podcast.
Don't forget to hit like,subscribe, comment, share,
repost our content and, ifyou've got a manuscript, submit
it to our research journaldivision.
We'd be glad to review it andwe look forward to receiving any
information that you give usabout projects around the world.
Good morning, good afternoondon't forget to hit subscribe

(07:34):
and good evening, wherever youare in the world.
Today, this is paul kramersigning off on the mass timber
construction podcast.
So Thank you.