Mass Timber Market Updates - August 2025 - Week TwentyNine

Mass timber construction continues its remarkable global ascent as sustainable building practices gain momentum across continents. This week's roundup captures the pulse of an industry transforming our built environment through innovation and environmental consciousness.

The United Nations Human Settlements Program has taken a significant step forward by advocating for green building codes that prioritize biobased materials—particularly mass timber—alongside circular construction principles and nature-based design elements. This global endorsement amplifies what practitioners have long understood: timber construction represents one of our most powerful tools against climate change.

Australia celebrates a milestone with the ACT government's unveiling of the new Canberra Institute of Technology wooden campus. Designed by Grey Poxon, this stunning facility seamlessly integrates education with community life through thoughtful design that eliminates traditional barriers between learning and civic participation. Meanwhile, Canada's housing shortage is driving unprecedented interest in mid-rise mass timber buildings (7-12 stories), perfectly positioned to address urban density needs while meeting sustainability goals.

We spotlight several breathtaking projects that showcase timber's versatility: McCallum Sather's Passive House certified affordable building in Hamilton; Vancouver's PNE Amphitheater with its innovative acoustic-controlling wooden roof design; and Western Arch Rib's record-breaking storage facility featuring a 160-foot curved glulam beam spanning an astonishing 233 feet. Each project demonstrates how mass timber continues to push boundaries of what's possible in modern construction.

Don't miss the Build the Impossible competition from Rathoblast and start planning now for the landmark 10th International Mass Timber Conference coming to Portland in 2026. Have research to share? We welcome manuscript submissions to help advance industry knowledge. Subscribe, like, and join our growing community of timber enthusiasts shaping a more sustainable built environment.

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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,

(00:28):
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.
This is Paul Kramer, your host,and welcome back to another
weekly episode.
Don't forget the Build theImpossible competition from
Rathoblast.
Don't forget the InternationalMass Timber Conference is
actually ramping up itsactivities to get ready for its

(01:10):
10th event in Portland, oregon,next year, 2026, when you can
get down to meet all yourfriends from around the world
and a network opportunity foreverybody, globally, for the
mastimber construction industry.
So get your accommodationbooked early, get your tickets
sorted out and get yourregistration in, because I think

(01:33):
there's early birds that arecoming up very, very soon, if
not already open.
Let's have a look at what'smaking news around the world
this week in mastimberconstruction land and the un,
through the un habitat, theunited nations human settlements
program, has released someinformation about the co2
emissions annually for differenttypes of material and

(01:55):
construction, obviously showingthat construction contributes a
lot to greenhouse emissions.
However, what it is working onis green building codes to cut
energy use, circularconstruction, reuse, recycle,
reduce natural base design, likerooftop gardens, biodiversity,
biobased materials, includingmass timber, and built-in

(02:17):
renewables, and it is trying to,I guess, capture the essence of
what construction means movingforward, and it has a number of
sources it lists to achieve thisoutcome.
So if you want to be in touchwith what's happening with the
UN Habitat, please head to UNHabitat on their LinkedIn feed

(02:37):
or go to the webpage and viewtheir Human Settlements Program
initiative.
And to Australia now, and theACT government has opened the
new Canberra Institute forTechnology, which is a wooden
campus designed by Grey Poxonand featuring mass timber, all
electric systems, culturalintegration, and the campus

(03:00):
blends education with communitylife.
The new state-of-the-art woodencampus is officially opened and
is setting a new standard foreducation infrastructure in our
country.
Designed by Grey Poxon incollaboration with the
infrastructure, canberra, citand Lendlease, the wooden campus

(03:20):
features active streetfrontages, public spaces and
direct transport connections,eliminating traditional barriers
between learning and civicparticipation and seamlessly
embedding education within thedaily life of the local
community.
The images are a fantasticrepresentation, so thank you
very much for providing thoseimages to us and check it out on

(03:44):
our LinkedIn feed.
Canada's housing shortage iscalling for increased
residential density,particularly buildings in the 7
to 12 story range, ideal formass timber, environmentally
sustainable in theirconstruction and often seen as
added prerequisite.
The result of the projects thatdevelopers may cast their eye

(04:04):
to could be all mass timberconstruction solutions as a
national and provincial codebegins to allow taller
encapsulated mass timber.
Woodworks says designers arelooking at combination of mass
timber with other structuralmaterials to integrate more
sustainable and efficientsolutions into their projects.
Switching away from traditionalconcrete and steel to this

(04:25):
mid-height construction realmprovides many resources for
multi-family hospitalityprojects with interior wall
layouts, adaptable CLT floorplans and you can check out more
by heading to our LinkedIn feed.
And McCallum Sather deliversthe Mass Timber Passive House

(04:46):
Affordable Building in Hamilton.
The project was designed andconstructed through an
integrated design build modeland aims to offer a replicable
approach to delivering highperformance housing with
long-term value for residents.
Element 5 was proud to providethe CLT and the glulam for that
project, so congratulations tothe team there.

(05:06):
If you want to see some moreabout this amazing Passive House
certified project, please headto.
You know where our LinkedIn andthe pne amphitheater is a
performance and event spacedevised by rivalry architecture.
The project is located inhasting parks, surrounded by
residential neighborhoods,adjacent to the important

(05:29):
hastings commercial cordon, andis overlooking the north shore
mountains of vancouver in canada.
The amphitheater was designedas an intervention that was
based on large wooden roof.
It aims to provide anecological solution compatible
with the surroundings in theenvironment and reduce the
acoustic impact as much aspossible from large events that

(05:50):
are held there.
This is is an incrediblestructure.
If you have not seen images ofthis structure, please head to
our LinkedIn feed and have alook at it.
It is one impressive building.
Now I'm a little bit slow forthe uptake here, but Western
Arch Rib posted an amazing videoof a storage facility that
features the largest glulamvolume ever supplied to a single

(06:13):
project in the region.
The wood can withstand thecorrosive properties needed for
their type of corrosiveenvironment along the seaside
and they completed the design,the supply and the structure
above the foundation with earlydesign assistance or early
contractor involvement in otherparts of the world, ensuring a
smooth transition to theconstruction.

(06:35):
The facility features a 160foot curved glulam beam spanning
233 feet, covers just overseven acres.
It is an incredible, incrediblebuilding.
If you have not seen this, headto their website or head to our
linkedin feed and have a lookat this amazing project.
The fly-through drone footageis impressive.

(06:56):
Well done to the entire team.
And that's it, folks.
That's all we've got time forthis week in Mass Timber
Construction Land.
I hope you have an amazing weekgoing forward.
I will check in with you nextweek and make sure that we bring
you some more news from aroundthe world.
Don't forget the Rothobar Spillthe Impossible competition.
Don't forget the InternationalMass Timber Conference in its

(07:19):
10th year in 2026.
It started in 2016.
It's been going for 10 yearsand it's an amazing event, so do
get your tickets booked forthat and we will catch up with
you very, very soon.
Don't forget to hit like,subscribe and contribute to
anything in our social mediarealm, and if you've got an
academic research publication,please submit it to us.
We'd be very pleased to reviewyour manuscript.

(07:41):
Good morning, good afternoon orgood evening, wherever you are
in the world today.
This is Paul Kramer signing offon the Mass Timber Construction
Podcast.
Thank you, bye.