Mass Timber Market Updates - Mar 2025 - Week Thirteen

Fresh from the "biggest and best" International Mass Timber Conference in Portland, the mass timber construction landscape continues to evolve with groundbreaking projects and challenges emerging worldwide. For those who attended the conference, congratulations on being part of this influential gathering—and for those planning next year's trip, book your accommodations early!

The spotlight shines on several remarkable developments this week. Melbourne's Bendigo Government Hub stands as a $90 million testament to mass timber's economic impact, generating 200 jobs and injecting $131 million into the local economy. Meanwhile, at Barcelona's Valldaura Labs campus, innovation takes center stage with the "Cathedral of Robotics Artisans" (CORA), where KUKA robots craft cross-laminated timber structures supporting green roof systems—a fascinating marriage of traditional materials and cutting-edge technology.

London joins the mass timber movement as British developer BAM secures a major contract to revamp the 34-story Broadgate Tower. Their sustainability-focused plan includes a three-story extension using reused steel and cross-laminated timber, crowned with a substantial rooftop terrace. Not all developments proceed smoothly, however—Tasmania's proposed waterfront stadium with its impressive glulam roof structure has become the center of controversy, with Cricket Australia raising concerns about shadows affecting gameplay and calling for a retractable solution. Meanwhile, CETRA Group's shift from continuous to periodic production signals market adjustments affecting workforce stability in the industry.

These developments reveal both the tremendous potential and real-world challenges facing mass timber construction. Whether you're a seasoned professional, researcher, or enthusiast, your engagement matters—like, share, and comment on our LinkedIn posts, submit manuscripts for our journal review, and join us weekly as we continue tracking this revolutionary building movement across the globe. The future of sustainable construction is taking shape right now, and we're documenting every fascinating moment of its evolution.

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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 Rambler,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 Mark Rambler, yourhost, and if you're traveling
back from Portland right now,you would have had an amazing
week in that lovely cityvisiting the International Mass
Timber Conference.
It had an amazing week in thatlovely city visiting the
international mass timberconference.
It was an amazing event.

(01:09):
I saw many, many, many facesonline posting about their
intrepid adventures aroundportland and around the
conference and had many, manymessages of communication from
portland explaining that theywere having a fantastic time.
So if you got along to theInternational Mass Timber
Conference the biggest and bestso far then congratulations and

(01:33):
look forward to booking yourticket for next year so that you
can get in early and get thataccommodation spot that you
actually wanted, not the one youended up with.
Let's have a look at what'smaking news around the world
this week in mass timberconstruction land and to
melbourne, australia, first, andthe bendigo gov hub, which

(01:53):
stands for government hub, in aregional city called bendigo,
has a 90 million dollar masstimber construction project that
was delivered a few years ago.
It was around 200 jobs thatwere created, $131 million boost
to the local economy, and ithas just been exposé in an

(02:14):
online article.
So if you'd like to have a lookat this impressive mass timber
building for a governmentinstitute, please do head along
to our LinkedIn feed.
And to spain, and there is anamazing series of images of a
kuka robot for the valdura labscampus in barcelona, the home to

(02:35):
the industrial robot workshopthat was created in the
institute for advancedarchitecture in catalonia.
The project that they areworking on is called Cathedral
of Robotics Artisans, or CORA,and the structure is made of
cross-laminated timber usingboth roof and frame systems,
enabling a green roof systemusing this genomic type

(02:57):
construction.
If you'd like to have a look,obviously you can head to our
LinkedIn feed and if you're inBarcelona, you can participate
in a master in advancedarchitecture and bio cities
course or program and you canplay with the KUKA robot and
Mastim products.
And heading across to London now, and British developer BAM is

(03:19):
set to deliver a major revamp of34 story broad gate tower in
the city of London.
The project wins a major revampof 34-story Broadgate Tower in
the City of London.
The project wins a major coupfor BAM and the Square Mile,
which beat rival bids fromWaters and McLaren to take over
the major revamp of the 2008built tower building.
The British land aims to bringbuilding to its highest

(03:42):
sustainability standards byadding a three-story extension
to the front of the landmark atBroadgate campus.
The building will beconstructed using reused steel
and cross-laminated timber,topped with 6,200 square feet of
terrace.
Impressive renders for thisparticular project Head to our
LinkedIn feed to to read more.

(04:03):
I'm back to australia now.
In a bit of controversy overtasmania's proposed waterfront
stadium with its amazing glulamroof structure, cricket.
Australia has said that theshadows cast by the glulam
structure may interfere with thegameplay and are calling for a
retractable roof system.
The afl, the AustralianFootball League, has said no.

(04:27):
It's standing firm on thedesign that has been awarded.
So it's going to be aninteresting tussle to see
whether the two sporting bodiesare going to win out in the
battle here.
Let's hope that some form of aglulam structure exists, because
that project is impressive.
If you haven't seen the rendersof this amazing football ground
, you can head to our LinkedInfeed.

(04:49):
And Cetra Group has restructuredits production to align with
market demand and istransitioning from continuous
production to periodicproduction of its CLT and wood
components facility, ensuring along-term financial stability as
a result of layoff notices foraround 60 employees.
This is a sign of the times forthe demand of the different

(05:13):
types of products globally andlet's hope that we are able to
stem the layoffs with increasingdemand, but we also need
increasing supply of timber togo with it.
If you'd like to read moreabout what CETRA is doing, you
can head to our LinkedIn feed.
And that's it, folks.
That's all we've got time forthis week in Mass Timber

(05:34):
Construction Land.
Don't forget to like, subscribe, share, comment anything that
has to do with mass timber onour LinkedIn feed.
If you've got a journalmanuscript, please send it in to
us.
We'd be very happy to review itand publish it if it meets the
guidelines and the scope of ourjournal.
And, of course, tune in everyweek as we bring you more
episodes from around the world.
Good morning, good afternoon orgood evening, wherever you are

(05:57):
in the world.
Today, this is Paul Kramersigning off on the Mass Timber
Construction Podcast.
Thank you,