COME CORRECT
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What Wood You Build: The Untapped World of Mass Timber
Mjøstårnet, an 18-story mixed-use building in Brumunddal, Norway completed in March 2019, is the world’s tallest mass timber building. Mass timber is currently more common in European countries than in the United States.
Erin Doering | Clemson University
transformations of timber Mass timber has been in use since well before the recently-built Hotel Magdalena. This system of construction first emerged in the early 1990s in Austria, where softwood forestry is very common2. In Europe mainly, where it broadened in the 2000s, crosslaminated timber was developed for use in residential construction because mass timber was more sustainable than concrete or brick, while retaining a similar, firm material feel. Today, mass timber continues to steadily gain ground in Europe and Canada, with the rise of structures such as Vancouver’s Brock Commons and Norway’s Mjøstårnet.
The Hotel Magdalena in Austin, Texas designed by Lake Flato Architects is the first mass-timber, boutique hotel constructed in North America. The structural system reduces the energy of the structural components by using renewable materials and limits the carbon use intensity during the construction process by drastically shortening construction time.
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Completed in 2020, the Hotel Magdalena in Austin, Texas boasts generous outdoor spaces, wide exterior corridors, and private terraces for each guest room. The hotel will attract thousands of tourists a year due to its impeccable grassy gathering spaces, private suite gardens, and outdoor pool bar. But in spite of all its exterior glory, the most exhilarating thing about this hotel is what’s inside: supporting over 73,000 square feet of lavish hospitality, while creating a remarkable guest experience, is the structural system of the hotel: a massive, load-bearing assembly, made entirely out of mass timber wood1. Mass timber elements are thick, pressed layers of wood which create strong, structural, load-bearing components that can be built into panelized elements. They are usually fabricated using lamination, fasteners, or adhesives. The broad term “mass timber” encompasses products of abundant sizes and functions.
Disappointingly, it remains delayed in the US by anachronistic and overly prescriptive building codes, deficient domestic supply, and the small-c conservative thinking of the building trades. Many professionals feel strongly that these issues have created a lack of acceptance and awareness around mass timber2. Predictably, this is not the first time building trades have been skeptical of new construction methods. The midnineteenth century shift from “post-andbeam” to “balloon framing” marked a crucial change, not only in the history of wood construction, but also in the practice of architecture and building. Carpenters of the time saw the 2x4 studs that comprised balloon framing as flimsy “sticks” in comparison to their post and beam counterparts; yet the groundbreaking method caught on, since it took less time to fabricate each of the elements and erect them, all while keeping similar strength across pieces. Ultimately, it was the industrial revolution that allowed trees to be milled into the lumber that paved the way for this radical, innovative way of putting together a building. To contractors and construction workers, this must have
been as unsettling a notion as it was revolutionary. Although there was initial resistance, balloon framing eventually succeeded and is now the most popular residential construction method in the US. Who’s to say history won’t repeat itself? Mass timber might feel too unfamiliar in the industry at the moment, but as the realization of its benefits only increases its production, it can become the most widely used way to construct any type of building3. While potentially unexpected, the use of mass timber is definitely not unprecedented. “People have been building homes out of wood forever. More than 90 percent of single-family homes in America are made of wood. Still, because of wood’s limitations, more significant buildings like offices, schools and department buildings had to be made out of concrete and steel. Mass timber systems are changing that.” says Assistant Director of Clemson University’s School of Architecture, Dustin Albright5. It wasn’t until architects started using CLT to replace concrete and steel in bigger buildings, that mass timber began popping up in North America in the 2010s. Currently, in the U.S., mass timber can’t yet compete with stick-frame construction, which is cheap and ubiquitous. However progress is being made: a set of the latest changes that will enable mass timber structures up to 18 stories tall have been accepted and are expected to be formalized into the newest IBC code in 2021.2
move over steel and concrete: mass timber has entered the chat When it comes to a sustainable built environment, material choices matter. Wood is a great choice for a natural, renewable, and sustainable material for building, with a lighter carbon footprint than steel or concrete. However, the advantages of mass timber construction don’t stop there. The growing enthusiasm of builders, designers, and advocates seems to be chipping away at the opposition to mass timber. Where is their conviction coming from?
The concept of the primitive hut explores the anthropological relationship between humans and the natural environment as the fundamental basis for the creation of architecture. It contends that the ideal architectural form embodies what is natural and intrinsic.
IT’S IN OUR NATURE The fundamental attraction of mass timber is its instinctive connection to the human experience. Moreover, it contributes to healthy, sustainable environments, and requires a construction process that is simpler than conventional carbon-laden building methods. Mass timber embodies the central principles of biophilic design: the human inclination to be close with other forms of natural life. Since the wood in these projects doesn’t have to be wrapped or bolstered to meet code, it is usually left exposed. This is evocative on a primal level since wood has an apparent connection to nature. The ability to make that direct connection to nature in interior spaces is a colossal advantage, given the fact that we spend the majority of our time indoors, not outdoors. 47