Mass Timber Market Updates - June 2025 - Week TwentyFour

Groundbreaking mass timber hotel projects are transforming skylines across three continents, showcasing the remarkable versatility and sustainability of engineered wood construction at unprecedented scales.

Vancouver is stepping boldly into the future with plans for North America's tallest mass timber hotel—an 18-story structure strategically positioned between Granville Island and Broadway. This pioneering development will transform a long-vacant contaminated rail site into a sustainable architectural landmark, demonstrating how urban renewal and environmental responsibility can beautifully intersect.

Meanwhile, Adelaide's ambitious 35-story mass timber hotel project has been revitalized with expanded plans now featuring 324 rooms and luxury double penthouses. This vertical extension of the heritage-listed MLC building in Victoria Square represents an innovative approach to urban densification while honoring historical architecture. With construction by Multiplex scheduled to begin later this year, this Cox Architecture-designed marvel is set to welcome guests by early 2027.

Perhaps most revolutionary is Barcelona's Room Community development, where mass timber construction supports a radical vision for collective urban living. Beyond its cross-laminated timber structure and impressive environmental credentials (including 60% landscaped space and net-zero standards), this 51-unit complex reimagines social architecture through gender-inclusive design, communal spaces that foster connection, and thoughtful features supporting caregiving and shared responsibility. Wide south-facing walkways double as social platforms while rooftop gardens provide climate refuges, creating a template for community-centered sustainable living.

These projects exemplify how mass timber isn't just changing how we build—it's transforming how we live. Subscribe to the Mass Timber Construction Podcast for weekly updates on innovative projects worldwide, and consider submitting your research to our International Mass Timber Journal through the MTCJ portal at masstimberconstruction.com.

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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 Mark 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 is Paul Kramer, yourhost, and welcome to another
weekly update of projects fromall around the globe.
Don't forget to hit subscribe.
And if you've got a journalmanuscript that you want to put
in a top rating mass timberfocused journal, please consider

(01:12):
our International Mass TimberJournal and please submit your
manuscript.
You can go to our MTCJ portalon masstimberconstructioncom,
masstimberconstructioncom.
And our impact factor isgetting towards two.
It's going to pass that in thenext year, very certain of that,
and there's some great articleson there.

(01:33):
So if you're a researcher,please do get your manuscript in
.
Let's have a look at what'smaking news around the world
this week in mass timberconstruction land and first up
this week, vanc.
Vancouver's first mass timberhotel is proposed near Granville
Island.
The 18-story hotel will be setfor the 5080 West 3rd Avenue in

(01:56):
Vancouver, about midway betweenGranville and the W Broadway.
The Citycouver has received arezoning application for a new
hotel that would have the verydistinct purpose of being the
first mass timber hotel invancouver and the tallest mass
timber hotel in north america.
According to the applicationpublished in early june, subject

(02:20):
to the site approval, 1500 to1588 west West 3rd Avenue and
1580 West 3rd Avenue, legallynear the intersection of First
Street and Northwest GrenvilleLoop Park, will have a new hotel
.
Grenville Island is located 10minute walk to the northeast,

(02:40):
while Broadway is located 10minute walk to the south, so
it's quite central.
The narrow parcel of land haslong been vacant and used as a
parking lot, sandwiched betweena car dealership and a car
servicing shop, and thisprompted the property developer
to formally put two parcels ofland together, consolidate these
into one application, andformerly it was the cp rail site

(03:04):
which was contaminated.
At the time, bc asset values5080 west third street or avenue
, I should say in 2024 at 4.346million dollars, and the
property is currently held undericx holding.
If you'd like to check out someof the impressive concept

(03:27):
drawings for this amazing hotel,you can head to our LinkedIn
feed, and a few years ago weannounced that there might be a
hotel made of timber in Adelaidein the CBD, the central
business district, in a placecalled South Australia.
In my home country, australia,during the height of the COVID
sort of era, veteran developerBarry Harrop said that he was

(03:52):
going to bring the world'stallest cross-timbered timber
hotel to Adelaide and it wouldbe a towering 31 stories above
Victoria Square, extending theheritage listed MLC building.
So it is a overbuild or avertical extension.
Now plans have been reignitedafter they were sort of shelved.
New plans have now got twodouble penthouses and the

(04:13):
original design now stands at 35stories with a total of 324
rooms.
The property is set to welcomeguests between late 2026 and
early 2027.
If you want to have a look atconcept drawings, you can do it.
Designed by Cox Architecture,built using CLT, and the
construction schedule will beginlater this year, led by

(04:34):
Multiplex, the buildingconstruction company.
Congratulations to everyone onthe project.
Let's hope that it does come tofruition this time and I think
it would have been around aboutthree or maybe four years ago.
We spoke about the first masstimber buildings being in Spain.
Well, modular housing buildingcompany Spain, where modular
housing building company CerratoEstudio now is making space for

(04:58):
equity in a shared life inBarcelona.
In the heart of Barcelona,there's the city's historic
fabric which is going to meetinnovation driven at 22 district
.
Architectural firm seratostudio brings a radical vision
for collective housing to life,with the room community part of

(05:18):
a larger redevelopment as abuilding a within a four block
ensemble designed by multiplearchitectural team, the dwelling
introduces new modular,inclusive living homes
comprising of 51 units,surrounded by gorgeous common
areas, and design supports foradaptable living, social equity

(05:42):
and social practices.
They are incredibly proud ofthese particular units.
The new module for urban livingis one that prioritizes
everything for the well-being ofthe residents who are also
occupants.
What sets the room communityapart is a full-spectrum
approach to care, both socialand environmental, from its

(06:03):
cross-limited timber, masstimber superstructure and
passive climate strategies.
It's a robust greeninfrastructure project with more
than 60% of the plot of thebeing landscaped and building to
net zero standards, whilemitigating the urban heat island
effect.
At the social level, theproject is conceived by a gender

(06:25):
perspective, with strategiesfor supporting caregiving,
safety and shared responsibility.
Wide south-facing communalwalkways double as balconies and
connect homes to rooftopgardens in a shaded climate
refuge for social platform thatstrengthens neighborhood ties
and community interaction.

(06:47):
Congratulations to the team onthe project.
There's some beautiful imagesif you'd like to go to our
linkedin feed and have a look atthem.
And that's it, folks.
That's what we've got time forthis week in mass timber
construction land LinkedIn feedand have a look at them.
And that's it, folks.
That's what we've got time forthis week in Mass Timber
Construction Land.
I hope you have a great weekahead.
We look forward to catching upwith you next week.
Don't forget to like, subscribe, share, comment any of the
content we have on our socialmedia platform and thank you for

(07:09):
tuning in to this podcast everyweek.
We look forward to bringing youmore news next week and we'll
catch up with you very soon.
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.