Mass Timber Market Updates - May 2025 - Week Nineteen

Ready for a whirlwind tour of mass timber innovation happening across the globe? From robotic fabrication in Barcelona to award-winning coastal homes in Cornwall, we're covering the most exciting developments in sustainable construction.

The timber revolution continues gaining momentum with Fife College setting new standards in sustainable education buildings. Their new campus has shattered carbon targets, achieving just 560kg CO2/m² by replacing traditional concrete with cross-laminated timber and using 95% recycled steel in their delta beams. This showcase of collaborative design between architects, engineers, and sustainability experts demonstrates how public buildings can lead the way in carbon reduction.

Meanwhile, architectural excellence in timber construction is receiving well-deserved recognition, with a stunning two-family home in Cornwall winning the prestigious 2025 RIBA West, South and Wessex Award. This "Hollywood on the sea" property masterfully integrates mass timber elements with breathtaking coastal views. At the Venice Architecture Biennale, the US pavilion is making a statement with a zigzagging mass timber canopy exploring "An Architecture of Generosity," while TU Graz's innovative "HOT" (Holz on Top) system offers modular timber solutions for urban building extensions.

Perhaps most exciting is the convergence of technology and timber, with CORE transforming a former Barcelona stable into a "cathedral of robotic artisans" where a KUKA six-axis industrial milling robot crafts extraordinary geometric forms from mass timber. These developments, alongside Sterling Solutions' new Terra-Cross CLT bridge system supporting 100 tons, showcase timber's versatility across architecture, infrastructure, and digital fabrication. Don't forget to check out the Rothobus Build the Impossible competition, now accepting entries until September, and subscribe to our channels for more mass timber inspiration!

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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 competition from

(00:55):
Rothobus is out now.
Get your entries in theirjudging panel and all the
information is on the website.
So go to the build theimpossible website from Rothobus
and you can find out more aboutthe competition details.

(01:17):
Don't forget to hit subscribe,like or comment and share any of
our posts or content on ourlinked feed or our research
journal.
The publications are free toread and it's free to publish,
so if you're looking to publisha manuscript, please consider
our humble journal with agrowing impact factor.
Let's have a look at what'smaking news around the world

(01:39):
this week in mass timberconstruction, land and Woodworks
in new zealand is hosting eventon tuesday, the 10th of june
2025, between 4 pm and 5 pm thatis the local time in cross
church in new zealand.
If you want to learn more aboutthis impressive event, which is
going to look at the growingcapacity of use of wood in

(02:00):
commercial and multi-residentialbuildings, please head to
woodworks nz and you canregister your interest or go to
our linkedin feed.
We've actually got the eventhosted there and it's that time
of year again with the venicearchitecture biennale which is
out this year.
The us pavilion is exploringporches as an architectural

(02:21):
archetype for Americanarchitecture, with zigzagging
mass timber canopy forming ashelter outside its neoclassic
building.
Titled An Architecture ofGenerosity, the timber canopy
installation and exhibitioninside the existing pavilion was
curated by Susan Chin and PeterMcKeith and Rob Biglow.

(02:43):
So if you want to go and have alook at this impressive
architectural monument for theBiennale, you can head to our
LinkedIn feed or go to theBiennale website.
And over to the UK now and the2025 RIBA West, south and Wessex
Award is a two-family house inCornwall.

(03:03):
Rundle Architects, which is aprivate client, which is the
client for this the confidentialcontract value.
The design is a genuinetwo-family home in Cornwall that
demonstrates the intimateunderstanding of highly
sensitive site and coastalenvironment, featuring a
Hollywood on the sea typeproperty.

(03:24):
This building is impressive andinside the building is mass
timber elements.
If you have a look at the waythat this building is massed on
this particular side of the hill, getting as many coastal views
as possible, plus usingsustainable materials, you can
see that this is beautifulwedding between these two

(03:45):
elements of this architecturalinnovation, and no wonder it won
an award.
So congratulations to the team,and if you want to have a look
at it, you can go to the RIBAawards page or our LinkedIn feed
.
And Fife College's new citycampus is setting a precedent in
sustainable construction.
Having successfully passedindependent verification for its

(04:08):
embodied and whole-of-lifecarbon assessment for its three
new buildings Set to open thisyear, the campus in Scotland's
net zero ready tertiaryeducation building has drawn
significant interest across thepublic sector.
The development of thisexemplary embodied carbon
footprint of just over 560kilograms of CO2 emissions per

(04:31):
meter squared the teachingbuilding and the three other
buildings, beating its originaltarget of 650 kilograms.
This success is the result ofstrong collaboration between
Fife College, the projectpartners and the supply chain
specialists, who featured inproviding a net zero public
building.
The building was produced usingconcrete slabs and these were

(04:55):
replaced within the originaldesign with CLT and delta beams
using 95% recycled steel.
The lower, stronger carbonreduced concrete substitute for
the particular projectapproximated 20% of a typical
savings on a similar building.
So this is a signatory race tozero initiative, and Fife

(05:17):
College is actively pursuingclimate action through these
initiatives on its campus.
Impressive work to everyoneinvolved in the project.
If you want to learn more, youcan head to Fife College or you
know where.
And TU Graz has been added againwith its technical innovations
for sustainable extensions onexisting buildings using modular

(05:38):
timber construction.
The team has developed amodular building technology
concept in collaboration withpartners as a catalogue for key
building physics to be able toextend buildings by one or two
storeys.
So these are overbuilds orvertical extensions.
This particular approach isbeing called HOT Holz on Top

(06:00):
Wood on Top in German Holz WoodProject consortium comprising of
people from engineers from theInstitute of Timber Engineering
and Wood Technology, theInstitute of Architecture
Technology, building PhysicsServices and Construction at
Graz University of Technologyhave all developed this precise,

(06:21):
sustainable building solutionand you can see details of it on
our LinkedIn feed.
And Sterling Solutions notstructural Sterling Solutions
who are famous for their groundprotection mats, has now created
a cross lamlaminated timberterra-cross bridge system.

(06:42):
The fully engineered system,made with structural steel that
supports up to 100 tons over aclear span of 50 feet, offers an
alternative to field bridgingfor construction and development
projects.
If you want to learn more aboutthis innovative solution,
please head to SterlingSolutions website where you can
read more about it.
And lastly, on the show today,the former stable in Barcelona

(07:05):
that is now the home to robots.
This is no fiction A cathedralof robotic artisans.
Core, as it is known, hasbasically built a house for a
robot.
As it is known, has basicallybuilt a house for a robot.
It is a KUKA six-axisindustrial milling robot, and it
has produced some amazinggeometry and architecturally

(07:27):
inspired shapes inside thisbuilding.
It's an existing brick buildingwith a sort of internal
structure that's produced out ofmass timber.
You want to see theseimpressive photos of this cougar
and what it's been able to do?
Please head to our LinkedInfeed.
And that's it, folks.
That's all we've got time forthis week in mass timber
construction land.
We hope you're having a greatweek.

(07:48):
Don't forget the Rotha BlastBuild the Impossible competition
which is happening right now.
Entries that go through toabout September and then judging
happens.
So get to their website andhave a look, and don't forget to
hit subscribe, like, comment,share or post anything on our
LinkedIn feed.
If you've got a manuscript,send it to us.
Good morning, good afternoon orgood evening.

(08:10):
This is Paul Kramer signing offon the Mass Timber Construction
Podcast.
Thank you.