Considering using mass timber for the first time? IMEG’s Robert Norton provides key considerations in this episode of The Future Built Smarter. A senior structural engineer working out of IMEG’s San Francisco office, Robert has more than a decade of experience designing with mass timber. He says the material is more than a trend—it transforms how a building is experienced. “Being in a wood building makes you much more comfortable. The wood provides a lot of warmth and it feels homier.”

Mass timber also changes how a building is designed and constructed, he adds. “It becomes part of the architecture.” Unlike steel or concrete buildings, where beams are often hidden behind ceilings, mass timber showcases every structural component. “Everything you do as an engineer is on display. All the connections, all the columns, the beams, the floor systems—they’re visible for people to either enjoy or not enjoy, depending on how well of a job you do.” This emphasis on exposure means early collaboration is critical. “We really want to be as integrated as possible with the architect and engineers, so when we do get drawings from the fabricator for the mass timber panels, it's definitely ready to be installed.” Robert’s team has also developed specialized connections. “Most of those off-the-shelf connections don’t work, so we’ve done a handful of specialized details that create that really seamless look in the building.”

Thanks to its prefabricated panels, mass timber also speeds up construction,. “The mass timber product is assembled in pieces that come to the site and are dropped in place. You’re saving up to 30 percent off your schedule just in the floor system alone.” The material also is highly sustainable, having much less embodied carbon than steel or concrete, he adds. And contrary to widely-held misconceptions, mass timber is fire-retardant. Unlike typical framing lumber, Robert says, “mass timber chars on the outside, forming a protective layer that insulates the core. That allows us to meet one-hour, two-hour, and even higher fire ratings—often without additional fireproofing.”

While upfront costs can be higher with mass timber, early planning can help overcome that, Robert says. “If you have designed for steel or concrete and then ask the team to ‘convert it to mass timber,’ you will almost certainly see a 25 percent to 30 percent cost premium. That’s the wrong way to approach it. To make mass timber competitive, it needs to be part of the project from day one. Doing that, you’re going to find the mass timber prices really drop dramatically.”