Research Project

Timber Rising: Mass Timber Engagement Program

Project Start: June 2019
Project Completion: December 2020
Principal Investigators: Daniel Safarik & Will Miranda, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat

This project was made possible by a grant from the USDA Forest Service. It represents a continuation of the CTBUH focus on researching and furthering the dialogue regarding the use of mass timber in the tall building typology. In recent years, CTBUH has undertaken research activities aimed at better defining and classifying mass timber for the high-rise market, while an in-house team has conducted numerous data studies on the topic, such as 2017’s “Tall Timber: A Global Audit.” In addition, it has established a Tall Timber committee and continues to document burgeoning tall timber projects all over the world through its Global News platform. In 2019, the Council dedicated a “Building of Distinction” signboard for Mjøstårnet, located in Brumunddal, Norway, declaring it the “tallest all-timber building in the world,” in conjunction with updating the official CTBUH Height Criteria to include timber as a structural material in tall buildings. 

As part of the Timber Rising project, CTBUH has produced a series of outputs in conjunction with the USDA Forest Service, all of which provide key information on mass timber innovations to stakeholders in the tall building industry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, and CTBUH are equal opportunity employers and providers.

Funding Partner

Publication

As the planet becomes more urbanized than ever before, tall buildings will continue to be essential to providing the level of housing, office, and retail space required to adequately serve dense popul...

Videos

This series of video interviews with mass timber industry experts, done in conjunction with the USDA Forest Service, delves into successful case studies of tall timber buildings.

Podcast

CTBUH is joined by industry experts to investigate the sustainable qualities, engineering and construction techniques, and challenges of building taller with timber.

Steering Committee Members

Project Milestones

About the Funding Partner

USDA Forest Service Mission Statement

To sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.  

 

At the heart of our agency’s mission is our purpose—the ultimate answer to why we do what we do. Everything we do—across our broad and diverse agency—is intended to help sustain forests and grasslands for present and future generations. Why? Because our stewardship work supports nature in sustaining life. This is the purpose that drives our agency’s mission and motivates our work across the agency. It’s been there from our agency’s very beginning, and it still drives us.

 

To advance our mission and serve our purpose, we balance the short and long-term needs of people and nature by—

  • Working in collaboration with communities and our partners;
  • Providing access to resources and experiences that promote economic, ecological, and social vitality;
  • Connecting people to the land and one another; and
  • Delivering world-class science, technology, and land management.

 

This is our value: what the Forest Service uniquely has to offer.

Videos

Timber Rising | Rune Abrahamsen

Rune Abrahamsen, Moelven

Timber Rising | Jennifer Cover

Jennifer Cover, WoodWorks

Timber Rising | Kevin Flanagan

Kevin Flanagan, PLP Architecture

Timber Rising | Philip Gardiner

Philip Gardiner, Irwinconsult

Timber Rising | Jeff Spiritos

Jeff Spiritos, Spiritos Properties LLC

Timber Rising | Erica Spiritos

Erica Spiritos, Swinerton

Timber Rising | Philip Vivian

Philip Vivian, Bates Smart

Podcast

Rune Abrahamsen, CEO, Moelven Industrier ASA, Moelv, Norway

CTBUH Editor-in-Chief Daniel Safarik discusses the design and engineering potential, and the constructability advantages of mass timber with Rune Abrahamsen, CEO of Moelven, a timber manufacturing company and construction firm in Norway, which has constructed Mjøstårnet, the world’s tallest all-timber building.

David Barber, Principal, Fire Engineering, Arup, Washington DC, USA

The adoption of mass timber for tall and large buildings on a greater scale is hindered by the prevailing fire safety codes in many jurisdictions, which are predicated on the fire properties of light or “stick-frame” dimensional-lumber construction. This episode addresses the real fire properties of mass timber, and considers the obstacles that must realistically be overcome to achieve widespread adoption. CTBUH interviews David Barber, Principal, Fire Engineering, Arup, on the subject.

Hannes Blaas, CEO, Rothoblaas USA, New York, NY, USA

Hannes Blaas is the CEO of Rothoblaas USA, a manufacturer of connectors for timber construction. He spoke to CTBUH on the design and engineering benefits of mass timber.

Brian Brashaw, Program Manager, Forest Products Marketing Unit, USDA Forest Service, Duluth, MN, USA

CTBUH interviewed Brian Brashaw, Program Manager, Forest Products Marketing Unit & Wood Innovations, USDA Forest Service. This episode focuses on the incentives and programs the US government has undertaken to promote mass timber and sustainable forestry.

Ara Erickson, Director, Corporate Sustainability, Weyerhaeuser, Seattle, WA, USA

CTBUH interviewed Ara Erickson, Director, Corporate Sustainability, Weyerhaeuser, about the timber industry’s role in sustainable forest management and interest in tall timber construction.

Kathyrn Fernholz, President & CEO, Dovetail Partners, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Sustainable forestry is key to the success of the mass timber construction industry. The fact that responsible and selective timber harvesting can actually help preserve forests and protect them against wildfires, blight and extinction through clearance for real estate or agriculture is a counterintuitive notion that will take some considerable public education to take hold. These experts talk about the education effort and some of the key premises behind sustainable forestry. CTBUH interviewed Kathryn Fernholz, President & CEO, Dovetail Partners, about some of the key premises behind sustainable forestry.

Robert Foster, Lecturer in Civil Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

Robert Foster, Lecturer in Civil Engineering at the University of Cambridge has participated in several cutting-edge design projects to push the limits of tall timber. He spoke to CTBUH about the true potential of mass timber, which can be competitive with steel and concrete in large and tall buildings.

Tim Gokhman, Managing Director, New Land Enterprises LLP, Milwaukee, WI, USA

Tim Gokhman, Managing Director, New Land Enterprises LLP, speaks about his project, Ascent – one of the tallest timber buildings ever constructed in North America – in the heart of Milwaukee.

Carsten Hein, Associate Director, Structural Engineering, Arup, Berlin, Germany

CTBUH interviewed Carsten Hein, Associate Director, Structural Engineering, Arup, about the relative strengths and weaknesses of timber as a structural element, in terms of both performance and economics, relative to other materials.

Phil McCormac, Senior Director, Development and Capital Projects, Ivanhoe Cambridge, Denver, CO, USA

CTBUH interviewed Phil McCormac, Senior Director, Development and Capital Projects, Ivanhoe Cambridge, about new mixed-use projects his company is developing for Denver’s up-and-coming RINO district.

Mohammad Mohammad, Senior Research Advisor, Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, Canada

CTBUH interviewed Mohammad Mohammad, Senior Research Advisor, Natural Resources Canada, about the seismic, strength and weight advantages of mass timber, as well as its value as a prefabricated construction material.

Lisa Podesto, Senior Business Development Manager, Lendlease, San Francisco, CA, USA

Lisa Podesto, Senior Business Development Manager, Lendlease, spoke to CTBUH about the advantages mass timber has delivered for her company, which has developed and built mass timber buildings on several continents.

Jørgen Tycho, Founding Partner, Oslotre, Oslo, Norway

In this episode, Jørgen Tycho, Founding Partner, Oslotre, talked to CTBUH about how the relatively young mass timber supply chain can be improved, improving sustainability and economics alike.

Mark Wishnie, Executive Director, BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group, Seattle, WA, USA

In this episode, Mark Wishnie, Executive Director, BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group, spoke to CTBUH about sustainable forestry, and how the development of a mass timber industry can be a climate-positive investment.

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