Mass timber construction continues to expand across the United States, and WoodWorks provides project assistance in every region. While mass timber projects continue to see a heavier concentration in California, Washington, Oregon, Florida, and Texas, WoodWorks is now tracking 664 mass timber projects in design or construction across the United States, according to the
Softwood Lumber Board (SLB).
As of the end of Q3 2019, WoodWorks is aware of 427 projects in which the design team is considering the use of mass timber and 237 mass timber projects that have been constructed. These early adopters have paved the way for future developers, designers, architects, and builders. With the completion of each mass timber project, the path for additional projects becomes easier to navigate.
WoodWorks has tracked mass timber projects over the past six quarters and has shown staggering growth. From Q3 2018 to Q3 2019, the number of projects included - both Construction Started/Built and In Design - has grown by 51%. Overall growth shows a 16% increase each quarter.
The types of buildings and heights that mass timber is being used in is also increasing in variety. During Q3 2019, mass timber multifamily occupancies remain strong at 26%, compared with 11% looking at the same time period in 2018.
While 54% of WoodWorks’ reported projects in the past quarter were three-, four-, and five-story multifamily projects, WoodWorks also saw increased project type diversification and conversions in one- and two-story projects in the retail, business, education, and assembly categories. The continued adoption of mass timber in three- to fivestory construction demonstrates that wood is being used in more places because of WoodWorks’ efforts and due to building types having varying demands for wood structure.
Looking forward to 2020, WoodWorks will continue to evolve its offerings to include a variation of WoodWorks’ education topics, programs, and technical solutions. WoodWorks also helps project teams design larger and taller light wood-frame buildings with innovative building techniques.
Hybrid construction combines light-frame wood construction with structural steel components and concrete podiums. As the adoption of mass timber construction continues to grow, many design teams are turning to a new form of hybrid construction. Combining light wood framing and mass timber is an excellent way to achieve project design goals that include cost competitiveness.
