There are many construction benefits to Mass Timber Buildings:
- Mass Timber buildings can be up to 30% lighter than steel and concrete structures. With mass timber buildings, comes smaller foundation requirements and lower forces for seismic resistance.
- Buildings built with mass timber can be erected up to 25% faster with less waste and job site traffic than steel or concrete buildings.
- Cross-Laminated Timber and Glu-Laminated Timber building are fire safe with 2-hour or greater fire ratings! Wood members can be used to protect steel components and connectors, increasing fire safety. The strength of wood members see less decline when exposed to fire than steel, and failure of a member is due to mass loss as opposed to strength loss in steel. The mass loss during a fire is ~1.5″ per hour. CLT carries a Class A fire and smoke spread ratings.
- Custom pre-fabrication reduces job site waste as members can arrive ready for installation. Mass timber projects also require less on-site labor and pre-fabricated materials reduce job suite truck traffic.
- Regional Mass Timber supply reduces travel time of materials for a consistent installation schedule. By supplying Mass Timber regionally, it qualifies for LEED points for regional materials and lumber is harvested exclusively in the Pacific Northwest.
- Mass Timber members can be left exposed, reducing synthetic materials in the building such as: gypsum, concrete, paints and finishes.
