Mass timber buildings are starting to gain momentum in the United States as a better carbon alternative to concrete. According to woodworks.org, more than 1,800 multi-family, commercial or institutional mass timber projects were in progress as of September 2023.
One of the more anticipated timber projects is taking place at the Portland International Airport, where a terminal expected to open in May 2024, according to the website fastcompany.com.
The terminal, with the highlight being a 9-acre roof, will feature wood that is sourced from within 300 miles of the airport. About half of the wood will come from small and tribal landowners in Washington and Oregon.
While mass timber is increasing in popularity in the U.S. as an alternative for building multi-story structures, most of the wood still is imported from outside the country. Those structures include the tallest wood structure in the world, the 25-story Ascent MKE in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The terminal has raised interests in mass timber in institutional and commercial facilities. As supply chain issues and the timber becomes easier to access, it is expected that projects will increase.
“The Portland project has almost created a market across the country,” says Dean Lewis, Skanska’s director of mass timber and prefabrication. Skanska is the company that’s working on the Portland project. “We’re getting calls from Atlanta and New York asking about the kinds of timber we can get within 300 miles of the city. … They all want that local story.”
Dave Lubach is the executive editor of the facilities market.
