How Mass Timber is Changing Construction

Mass Timber
Written By Tridome Structures

A new material is coming into the spotlight in the building industry. It offers cost benefits, environmental benefits, even psychological benefits. This new material? Wood. 

As it stands, the construction industry is fairly outdated. While many aspects of life have evolved to keep pace with personal and environmental needs (education, technology, vehicles) construction has remained relatively stagnant. While the looks of modern buildings have changed, the way they are built and the materials used has remained relatively stagnant. Unfortunately, this is having a major impact on the health and happiness of many people and the environment. Mass Timber offers numerous solutions.

Environmental

Environmental sustainability has become a hot topic issue over the past few decades; and with good reason. Sustaining the Earth's resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions means sustaining life as we know it. Earth’s resources are being consumed at an alarming rate as population sizes continue to grow exponentially. In order to support a growing population, the materials we use every day, specifically building materials, must be renewable. Steel, concrete, and aluminum are extremely common in today’s building environment, but none are renewable. They also contribute greatly to CO2 emissions. 

As it stands, to avoid the worst impact of climate change, a 1.5℃ increase in temperature must be prevented2, which requires reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. An increase in temperature will continue to bring increasingly severe weather patterns, rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and more widespread disease, as carriers for diseases such as mosquitoes will thrive in a greater range of warm environments.

The current built environment is responsible for nearly 50% of annual global CO2 emissions (1). This can be broken down into 27% for building operations, for instance lighting, heating, and ventilation, and 20% for building materials and the construction process. The creation of concrete, steel, and aluminum generate globally 23% of CO2 emissions, the majority of which is used in the built environment.

Mass Timber is both renewable and creates significantly less carbon dioxide than typical building materials and processes. 

While the use of timber as a building material is often associated with the harmful practice of deforestation, this is actually not the case. The cutting of trees is not considered deforestation if the forest is managed sustainably, meaning no more forest is harvested than is replanted, and the health, biodiversity, and CO2 storage of the forests are maintained (3). While the majority of deforestation comes from “land conversion for agriculture, livestock farming, and infrastructure and mining,” Mass Timber surprisingly does not contribute to deforestation, as the materials obtained for Mass Timber come from forests in British Columbia that are strictly regulated so as not to cause deforestation and other detriments to the environment. This includes net CO2 emissions.

How Mass Timber sustainably manages their forests

The responsible management of existing forests and planting of new forests are essential in reducing global CO2 emissions, and thus fighting against climate change. Planting new trees helps to clean air by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during the process of photosynthesis, in which plants use water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide to produce glucose for food, and create oxygen as a byproduct. Harvesting these trees does not necessarily mean releasing CO2 back into the atmosphere; a common misconception is that cutting down trees releases carbon dioxide. The reality is that CO2 is released when a tree either decomposes or combusts, meaning it is burned to produce energy. If a tree is instead used in its raw form as lumber for a building material, the wood continues to store the carbon dioxide for the rest of its life cycle; it is now acting as a carbon sink, containing what is called embodied carbon. Embodied carbon does not contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. 

Other building materials, such as concrete, steel, and aluminum, require a great deal of energy to turn their raw form into usable building materials. The energy required for these processes comes from the combustion of fossil fuels, which heavily contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and therefore climate change. Mass Timber is simply multiple wood panels nailed or glued together to create a strong, low-carbon alternative to traditional building materials.5

Cost

Another issue facing modern architecture is cost. In the past few years, housing prices have skyrocketed, which is largely due to increases in building material costs. Though Mass Timber is not entirely unaffected by this issue, it still offers a less expensive alternative to traditional construction.

When it comes to construction, there are two primary factors in determining cost: the price of materials and the price of labor. Mass Timber sees advantages in both.

On the materials side, Mass Timber offers price reductions because wood itself is cheaper than steel and concrete, and timber buildings require fewer materials and smaller foundations. The cheapness of wood is a result of the fact that wood is both plentiful and renewable, with availability far outcompeting that of steel and concrete. It also takes less energy to produce, since it does not have to change forms using energy intensive procedures such as melting; it is simply pressed together and cut into the correct shape. 

Wood is also lighter than concrete and steel, which means it’s easier to build with and manipulate. It also places less weight on the foundation.

A difference in labor costs is also a major advantage for Mass Timber. While traditional buildings are constructed on-site, which requires a larger crew, clearing the area, and often losing days due to weather concerns, Mass Timber products are prefabricated, meaning pieces arrive almost fully put together, and ready for assembly. This new assembly process requires a smaller crew, no land clearing, and takes far less time, all of which save money.

Another aspect to consider with the pricing of a structure is the waste produced. Because Mass Timber is custom ordered to exact shapes and sizes, there is no leftover waste at building sites.This is better for the pocket of the consumer and for the environment. 

Psychological

“An extension of the theory of biophilia, biophilic design recognizes that our species has evolved for more than 99% of its history in adaptive response to the natural world and not to human created or artificial forces… Rather than being vestigial – or relevant to a world that no longer exists – this need is thought to remain instrumental to people’s physical and mental health, fitness, and wellbeing.”

Human beings have evolved to have a deep connection with nature. Studies have shown that the outdoors have major positive impacts on physical, mental, and community wellbeing. 

Interaction with green spaces are associated with an increased quality of sleep and life expectancy, and a decreased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease due reduced stress levels, cortisol levels, muscle tension, and heart rate (7).

Interacting with the natural world also has been shown to have profound effects on mental wellbeing; lower risks of depression, faster psychological recovery, and strengthened mental capacities, increasing focus and attention. These increases in mental and physical wellbeing also foster a greater sense of community, as healthy and happy individuals tend to seek out meaningful social connection. 

An issue with modern architecture is it often bars people from the natural world. Because humans spend an estimated 93% of their lives indoors- 87% in buildings and another 6% in vehicles (8)- spaces that do not integrate the natural environment can often have the opposite effects of the positive ones stated above that come from interacting with nature on a regular basis; depression, anxiety, lack of physical activity, etc. 

Biophilic design incorporated into modern workspaces

Using timber as a primary material in architecture can help to solve this issue, as it plays a large part in incorporating biophilic design into a building. The principle behind biophilic design is that green spaces have major positive impacts on human health and happiness, and thus should be incorporated with modern architecture accordingly. A large component in creating a biophilic environment is using natural building materials, such as wood, that mimic the feelings of the outdoors. This means that the use of Mass Timber could play a part in having profound positive consequences on mental, physical, and social wellbeing. 

Safety

So, Mass Timber has many positive impacts on the environment, bank accounts, and general wellbeing. But is it safe?

The short answer? Yes. 

Mass Timber is just as safe as any other building material; it is strong, earthquake resistant, provides good air quality, and surprisingly, is also fire resistant

The strength of a Mass Timber building comes from the way in which each piece of timber is created; wood panels are nailed or glued together in various patterns that allow for impressive structural stability and strength. 

Mass Timber buildings are also earthquake resistant. Because they can be one-fifth the weight of comparable concrete buildings, they experience lower seismic forces which leads to better performance during seismic activity (10). 

Air quality and infection control is another common concern with timber buildings. However, “because mass timber is engineered, its surface is smooth, free from cracks and knots seen in raw wood. It can also be coated creating a surface that can withstand industrial cleaning agents. Unlike other building materials, it also has reduced off-gassing, which translates into better air quality” (9).

Fire is the final prevalent concern with timber buildings when it comes to safety. “Mass Timber buildings have strict fire safety measures in place both during and after construction. Encapsulation, sprinklers, natural charring, and other considerations work in concert to achieve the same fire safety standards as non-combustible construction” (10).

Fire testing performed on a mass timber structure

In Summary

There are many advantages to building with Mass Timber. It provides benefits for the environment, saves you money, and has positive impacts on various aspects of human health, all without sacrificing structural safety or integrity.

Many companies have integrated the use of Mass Timber, one of which being Tridome Structures. Tridome Structures integrates Mass Timer and architectural fabric membranes to create sustainable, low-carbon, cost-effective, biophilic spaces that nurture physical, mental, and social wellbeing.

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