Mass Timber Market Updates - Feb 2025 - Week Nine

Dive into a fascinating exploration of mass timber's potential to reshape our built environment as we discuss the intersection of sustainability and innovation in construction. Our latest episode highlights groundbreaking projects, including the first mass timber hospital in North America, and investigates how timber is combatting the housing crisis by offering low-carbon solutions. We also introduce the pioneering Carbon Smart CLT, crafted entirely from salvaged materials, setting a new standard for sustainable building practices.

Listeners will discover the UK's strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing timber utilization, showcasing how this process not only addresses urgent housing demands but also fosters a circular economy. Training the next generation of builders is paramount; we explore new educational resources designed to equip workers with essential mass timber skills.

With insights from industry experts and a focus on real-world applications, this episode not only informs but also inspires action towards a greener future in construction. We encourage you to engage with us—share your thoughts, subscribe for more exciting content, and help spread the word about the sustainable revolution in timber building!

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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 the

(00:28):
undisputed heavyweight podcastin 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 worldtoday, welcome to the Mass
Timber Construction Podcast.
It's Paul Kramer, your host.
Thank you, bruce Buffer, theveteran voice of the octagon.
For almost five years nowyou've introduced this podcast.
Thank you for your continuedcommitment.
I hope you are having a greatweek.

(01:08):
It is the last week in February.
It's about to change to autumnhere in the Southern Hemisphere
and spring in the NorthernHemisphere, so I hope that the
cooler weather dissipates nowand you are able to make some
activities and have some funoutdoors rather than staying
inside.
Let's have a look at what'smaking news around the world

(01:29):
this week in mass timberconstruction land, and the big
news that's coming out of the UKat the moment is the
development of a climate changeand housing crisis driven by
economic conditions and growth,and the suggestion that timber
offers a solution for renewable,low-carbon resources to move
forward the priority themes ofthe new strategic plan,

(01:53):
improving data on timber andwhole-life carbon.
Promoting the safe, sustainableuse of timber in construction
as a material.
Increasing skills, capacity,competency across the supply
chain.
Increasing the sustainabilitysupply of timber that includes
not only the sustainable supplyof it, but of sustainable
materials.

(02:13):
Addressing fire safety,durability concerns, including
moisture, which isn't listed,but I think it's a big one that
needs to be in there andincreasing collaboration with
insurers, lenders, warrantyproviders and, finally,
promoting innovation and highperforming timber construction
systems.
They aim to increasesustainable homegrown timber

(02:34):
planting, and the whole plan isbased on the premise that they
potentially could be delivering1.5 million homes through a
parliamentary pathway, and theroadmap that they've created
develops an ambitious circulareconomy and sustainable
low-carbon future.
Congratulations to the UK'sinitiative on trying to build a

(02:59):
better future using moresustainable materials.
If you'd like to check it out,you can head to our LinkedIn
feed or head to the UKgovernment and have a look for
Climate Change, timber andHousing Crisis Strategic Plan.
And to North America now andPicton, and the new Prince
Edward County Memorial Hospitalin Picton is going to be a mass

(03:21):
timber project.
The project is going to be thefirst mass timber hospital in
North America, according to thepresident and chief executive,
stacey Duab, the senior staffand the project officials spoke
on the 26th of February in apublic update which was held
online, saying that the projectis innovative.
It's sustainable.

(03:42):
Sustainable it will reallyenhance critical aspects of the
new building to build in masstimber.
So the project is got somegreat concept drawings.
If you'd like to head to ourlinkedin feed, you can have a
look there.
Congratulations to everyone onthe team and six months after
announcing that millersburg isthe site for the new CLT plant,

(04:03):
timberlab and its partners,along with a list of dignitaries
, including the governor, havebroken ground in a ceremony.
The subsidiary Timberlab ofSwinerton will have this new
Lindgren Development leverarchitecture project designed
for 190,000 square foot facility.

(04:25):
The company officials say thatit will be done and it will be
one of the largest CLTproduction sites in the country.
The news is great news forOregon's mass timber industry
and the revolution of timbertechnologies.
If you'd like to have a look atthe concept drawing, you can
head to Swinerton or Timber LabsLinkedIn feed or their web

(04:46):
pages or go to ours.
And Cambium, a leader insustainable supply chain
technology, has made apioneering entry into the mass
timber market with the launch ofthe Carbon Smart CLT, the first
CLT product crafted entirelyfrom salvaged wood or timber.
This innovative materialcombines high performance

(05:09):
engineering with environmentalresponsibility, setting a new
standard for sustainable masstimber construction.
Why Carbon Smart CLT?
Well, they say that creating alayering process by using
existing timbers and having thecapacity for CLT to be put
forward in a cross-laid upmaterial, then using the

(05:31):
reclaimed wood from the supplychain, this now supports another
level of sustainability.
So if you'd like to check outmore, you can head to our
linkedin feed or go to cambium'swebsite and have a look at
their carbon smart clt.
And good friend to the show andthe podcast and personal friend
of mine, nick hewson, haswritten an article for

(05:52):
Architecture AU.
I have posted a link of this tohis article on our LinkedIn
feed and he talks about theevolution of mass timber and
glulam timber and how it'srecently gained popularity,
specifically in Australia,because we're punching well
above our weight on the globalstage compared to the size of

(06:13):
our country, compared to othernations, and he runs through
some memorable projects.
So if you'd like to read moreabout some of the history, some
of the journey that Australiahas been on over the last sort
of 15 years, you can actuallyread that in Nick's story.
So congratulations, nick.
Great article in ArchitectureAU.
Head to our LinkedIn feed orhead to Architecture AU to go

(06:36):
and read it.
And to another good friend ofthe show, michaela Harms from
Sterling Structural has been onthe podcast.
We'll come on very soon andtalk about what I'm about to
launch here on the podcast.
Right now they have come up witha prefabricated mass timber
hybrid structural system forNorth America and announced just

(06:56):
recently as this week that theyhave a new mass timber mock-up
training kit.
The kit is designed to helpvocational schools, training
programs and unions educate andtrain construction industry
workforce on the emerging use ofmass timber and a wide range of
structures.
The kit includes everything youneed to construct a mock-up of
a small-scale mass timber and awide range of structures.
The kit includes everything youneed to construct a mock-up of

(07:16):
a small-scale mass timberbuilding.
It's designed to educate, traininstallers of the fundamentals
of mass timber.
This hands-on learning toolshowcases components of prefab,
clt and glulam and the launch ofthe training kit really does
stand as a commitment to themass timber sector from Sterling
Structling structural.

(07:36):
So if you want to have a lookat some of the elements of the
kit.
We have the working drawings,the concept drawings, on our
linkedin feed and, if not, getin touch with sterling
structural and they'll be ableto help you.
This mimics a approach that wehave used in Australia ourselves
, where we've devised a smallkit of parts to train people in

(07:57):
that vocational sector.
So well done for Stirling, fortaking the initiative and doing
this in North America, and Iknow many people will be
interested to see how successfulthis approach is to adopt it in
other areas.
That's it, folks.
That's all we've got time forthis week in Mass Timber
Construction Land.
I hope that you're having agreat start to the month of

(08:19):
March and that you catch up withus.
Next week We'll bring youanother episode of all the Mass
Timber news from around theworld, and don't forget to hit
subscribe, like comment, share,repost anything that we have on
our LinkedIn feed.
If you've got an academicmanuscript sitting in your top
drawer and you want a globalrepresentative journal that

(08:41):
supports mass timber and theonly true mass timber focused
academic journal in the world,please consider our journal with
an impact factor of 1.841.
Don't forget to get along tothe International Mass Timber
Conference in less than a monthnow, at the end of March and if
you haven't got your tickets now, I'm sure hotels are booking

(09:02):
out really quickly.
You might have to stay inVancouver and trek down.
I hope not, but hopefullythere's something in Oregon for
you in Portland and we'll catchup with you next week.
Good morning, good afternoon orgood evening wherever you are
in the world.
Today this is Paul Kramersigning off on the Mass Timber
Construction Podcast.
Thank you,