Mass Timber Market Updates - Jan 2025 - Week One

What if mass timber could unlock a sustainable future for the construction industry? Join us as we explore the groundbreaking advancements in mass timber construction and how they're reshaping our built environment. I'm your host, Paul Kremer, and I’m thrilled to guide you through the latest episode of the Mass Timber Construction Podcast. We kick off the year with an inspiring story from Melbourne, where Quincy Melbourne has set a remarkable precedent by becoming the first hotel in Victoria to earn the Neighbours Climate Active carbon neutral certification, all thanks to the innovative use of mass timber. The episode also takes you on a journey through the rise of mass timber buildings with insights from Ohio State University, highlighting the eco-friendly benefits and economic implications of this transformative construction material.

But that’s not all—get ready to be captivated by the stunning Grand Ring at the Osaka 2025 Expo, made entirely from glue-laminated timber. Check out the dazzling nighttime images that capture its majestic beauty. We also spotlight an exciting opportunity: the $1.8 million mass timber construction competition for building sustainable schools, with entries closing soon. Plus, we delve into a fascinating article from the Softwood Lumber Board on how mass timber can reduce costs and emissions, featuring the Evergreen Charter School in New York. Mark your calendars for the International Mass Timber Conference in Portland this March, where the future of construction will be on full display. Don't miss this chance to learn and engage with the pioneers of sustainable building practices!

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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

(00:24):
undisputed heavyweight podcastin the world the Mass Timber
Construction Podcast.
And now here's Paul Ramblin,your host.

(00:48):
Good morning, good afternoon orgood evening wherever you are
in the world today.
Welcome to the MassatimConstruction Podcast Series 2025
.
I hope that you had an amazingNew Year's celebration.
There was events all over theglobe.
I was very privileged to bepart of my own celebrations here
at home and I have witnessedsome incredible displays,

(01:11):
especially the fireworks and thedrone combination which just
really starts to bring the newyear to a next level in terms of
entertainment.
I hope that you had a fantasticevening and may 2025 bring you
great prosperity, happiness andjoy, and we look forward to
bringing you all the news inMass Timber Construction Land

(01:33):
throughout the entire year.
Once again, it is our fifthyear.
Thank you for being a part ofour journey.
Let's get into the news.
This week in MassastimaConstruction Land and first up
for the year to my hometown ofMelbourne, australia and TFE
Hotels is celebrating amilestone in its journey to net
zero emissions by 2050, with theQuincy Melbourne becoming the

(01:57):
first hotel in Australia,victoria, to achieve Neighbours
Climate Active, carbon NeutralBuilding Certification.
Through the certification, theQuincy will offset 1,671 tonnes
of carbon per annum, which isequivalent to 167 average
Australian households.

(02:17):
The TFE Hotel was invested indeveloping the footprint of
management systems and a broadendorsed sustainability strategy
, setting climate targets,establishing their in-house
greenhouse gas emissionsmonitoring and reporting the uh.
A notable approach to this isthat it used mass timber as a

(02:38):
function of replacing much ofthe what would be wet, poor
concrete with cross-laminatedtimber.
If you want to read some moreabout this, you can head to our
LinkedIn feed, and there's agreat report from the Daily
Reporter which is about the riseof mass timber buildings,
coming with added benefits, andit features the Ohio State

(03:00):
University and the material usedfor low to mid-rise buildings
and comparing it to moretraditional materials.
The article goes on to talkabout not only the forest
management, which is veryimportant and that's obviously
where it all starts through toeconomics, all the way through
to commercial related elementsof the wider ecosystem around

(03:25):
construction.
So if you want a great littlearticle that overviews how mass
timber and forestry worktogether, you can head to our
LinkedIn feed orthedailyreportercom.
And last week, we bought yousome in-progress construction
shots of the Grand Ring for theOsaka 2025 Expo, which is a two

(03:49):
kilometer, 700 meter radiusbuilding built out of glue
laminated timber.
Well, now there are someeye-watering and very beautiful
pictures of the Grand Ring innighttime photography
illuminating the structure, andit really does look like a

(04:10):
golden ring sitting in the urbanlandscape.
So if you want to go and have alook at some impressive
nighttime photos of the JapaneseGolden Grand Ring, please do
head to our LinkedIn feed.
Just a reminder to people in theUS, the deadline for the $1.8
million mass timber constructioncompetition Building

(04:32):
Sustainable Schools isapproaching its deadline for
submissions, so get your K-12education project in by the 13th
of January 2025.
If you'd like to see some moreinformation, please head to the
Softwood Lumber Board website.
You'll be able to get all thedetails there.

(04:52):
The entry period ends onJanuary 13, 2025, so not too far
from it now and you couldpartake in a $1.8 million mass
timber competition for buildingsustainable schools.
Check it all out or head to ourLinkedIn feed or the Softwood
Lumber Board website.

(05:13):
And, sticking with the SoftwoodLumber Board, there is an
article that's been posted onhow wood can reduce project
costs and emission targetattainment, while providing
enhanced aesthetics forbuildings through the feature of
the Evergreen Charter School inHampstead, new York, designed

(05:35):
in mass timber by Martin HoppArchitects, and you can read
about how this influentialproject could be a part of the
genesis of the educationsubmissions that we just spoke
about for their competition.
So if you'd like to get someinsight information before you
submit for that particularcompetition, you might want to

(05:56):
head to this article first andhave a read of that again on our
LinkedIn feed.
And don't forget, coming up thisyear in March the International
Mass Timber Conference inPortland, oregon, end of March.
Get your tickets in now.
Exhibition Space is selling out.
We are media partners for thatparticular event.
We're very pleased to beassociated with it for well over

(06:19):
five years now.
This is our fifth year runningon the podcast and we look
forward to catching up withArnie very, very soon in this
new year to hear what isactually coming up at the
conference.
And we would like to say a bigshout out to the entire
organizing committee and that'sdriving the content that's going

(06:40):
to be provided to all theparticipants.
It gets a bigger and biggerevent each year, so don't miss
out.
Please get your tickets booked,book your accommodation and get
your registrations in early birdregistrations there's a few of
them will be ending soon.
It's not too long now.
It's probably only about 12weeks away before you're
actually heading there.
So get your tickets, get bookedand get over there, and that's

(07:03):
it.
That's all we've got for newsthis week in mass timber
construction land.
It's a great week one in 2025.
I hope that you're settling in.
I hope that when we all returnback to work, that it's not too
painful after having some timeoff.
Certainly here in Australia,it's our holiday season.
Enjoy good food, good companyand, of course, good podcasts.

(07:24):
Thanks for liking, sharing,subscribing, commenting,
reposting anything that we haveon our social media feed and, of
course, tuning into our podcasteach 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, so Thankyou.