In the Funder / Owner / Developer sub-group meeting of the Future Timber City project, key stakeholders from the constituency discussed the priorities they felt would be most important to pursue. 

Among the motivations for pursuing mass timber for high-rise projects in the first place, participants emphasized that aesthetics and market value were among the top drivers for choosing to build their projects in timber. Others noted increases in the speed to leasing of available units in residential buildings and floor space in office buildings, when compared to similar, conventionally constructed buildings in some markets. 

The participants also requested that the project research focus on costs and returns on investment, while acknowledging that these were likely to vary widely across regional markets. Obtaining reports of tenant or occupier satisfaction was also an important objective expressed by the group. 

A common cause for concern was the willingness of insurance companies to cover timber buildings when more-established alternatives were available. The group asked the researchers to obtain data about which companies were insuring case study projects, the premiums paid, and to obtain an understanding of the process by which owners negotiated favorable insurance terms for their projects.

Participants:

• Brian Brashaw, Assistant Director for Cooperative Forestry, Wood Innovations, USDA Forest Service, Minneapolis, United States
• Jennifer Cover, President & CEO, WoodWorks / Wood Products Council, Washington, D.C., United States
• Cees de Jager, CEO, Think Wood, Seattle, United States
• Ariane Dienstag, Founder, Ariane Dienstag sa, Paris, France
• Martin Gettings, Group Sustainability Manager, Canary Wharf Group PLC, London, United Kingdom
• Tim Gokhman, Director, New Land Enterprises, Milwaukee, United States
• Rahim Jumani, Assistant Manager, Innovation & Sustainability, Tridel, Toronto, Canada
• Will Miranda, Research Coordinator, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Chicago, United States
• Kevin Naranjo, Green Building/Mass Timber Lead, USDA Forest Service, Atlanta, United States
• Lisa Podesto, Senior Business Development Manager, Lendlease, Santa Cruz, United States
• Jeff Spiritos, Chair, Future Timber City Steering Committee; Manager, Spiritos Properties LLC, New York City, United States
• Rainer Strauch, Managing Director & CTO, CREE GmbH, Bregenz, Austria
• Antony Wood, CEO, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Chicago, United States