Mass Timber Construction Podcast
Mass Timber Construction Podcast
Mass Timber Market Updates - May 2025 - Week TwentyOne
Celebrating a major milestone this week as we hit 30,000 followers on LinkedIn! From our humble beginnings in 2018 to becoming a global voice in sustainable construction, we're grateful for every member of our community dedicated to understanding mass timber construction worldwide.
The innovation landscape is buzzing with groundbreaking developments. Sterling Structural has unveiled a game-changing modular mass timber shaft wall system for multi-level construction projects—prefabricated CLT panels with integrated shaft walls that simplify elevator installation while maintaining sustainability credentials. Meanwhile, Rotterdam showcases its architectural evolution with the completion of its first mass timber residential building, featuring 82 reasonably priced apartments across two staggered wings rising 10 and 14 stories high. The exposed CLT soffits and beam systems create a striking visual testament to timber's structural and aesthetic potential.
New York City is making bold moves with plans for its largest mass timber residential project on Staten Island, a 500-unit development with 25% designated as affordable housing. California State University celebrates the completion of its first mass timber building at Chico State—a $14.5 million facility where engineered wood creates both structural integrity and biophilic warmth. Most intriguing perhaps is the emergence of "Super Wood" from startup Inventwood—a material claiming 50% more tensile strength than steel with 90% lower carbon emissions, potentially heralding the next evolution in sustainable construction materials. With Simon Fraser University breaking ground on an eight-story mass timber student residence, it's clear that engineered wood is transforming how we build across all sectors.
Join us weekly as we continue tracking the revolution reshaping construction worldwide. Whether you're an architect, engineer, developer, or simply fascinated by sustainable building, there's never been a more exciting time to explore the possibilities of mass timber.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are live. This is the moment you all have been waiting for. It's time for the global sensation, the one, the only the undisputed heavyweight podcast in the world the Mass Timber Construction Podcast. And now here's Paul Kramer, your host. Good morning, good afternoon or good evening wherever you are in the world today. Welcome to the Mass Timber Construction Podcast. My name is Paul Kramer, your host, and we just want to say a massive thank you to our 30,000 followers on our LinkedIn page. Yes, we hit this milestone this week. That's, 30,000 global followers from the AEC community, all dedicated to understanding more around mass timber construction at a global level. So thank you to everybody who contributes to our online social media presence. We started back in 2018, the start of 2018. It's now many, many years past and we're very thankful for all the support. Thank you very much. Let's have a look at what's making news around the world this week in mass timber construction, land and Sterling Structural Manufacturer prefabricated mass timber and hybrid structural components in North America has launched its modular mass timber shaft wall system for multi-level construction projects.
Speaker 1:The new system is a prefabricated CLT panel with shaft walls and, in some cases, a roof, along with coordinated connection details and all the necessary hardware that you need to make it easy to install elevator shafts in a project. If you'd like to know more, you know where to head. Sterling structural is the website, and powerhouse company completes rotterdam's first mass timber residential project. The mass timber residential structure has officially been completed with 82 reasonably priced rental apartments in its famous post-war neighborhood and is part of the project by powerhouse company, commissioned by the wood stand rutter dam, with two staggered wings rising 10 and 14 stories high. The high-rise building by the architects design was a novelty in the neighborhood at the time and greatly helped by the ease of acute post-war housing scarcity. Now, this new design of the staggered volume building creates this open-air character that is derived from the thoughtful placement of low-rise and high-rise buildings in a communal outdoor area situated in a green space. If you'd like to have a look at this impressive project, it's very, very good. You can see exposed CLT on the soffit over the veranda areas and exposed beam systems. It's an incredible project. I urge you to go and have a look at our LinkedIn feed or head to worldarchitectureorg and look for the Powerhouse Company Completes Rotterdam's First Mass Timber Residential Building.
Speaker 1:And last week, mayor Eric Adams of New York City's Economic Development Corporation, president and CEO Andrew Kimball, announced a Manhattan-based construction firm, artemis, and the Phoenix Realty Group that had led construction and development efforts in the new Stapleton waterfront area with an upcoming mixed-income residential complex, two vacant parcels of land in Stapleton on Staten Island Designed by GF55 Architects. The development will yield 500 units, with around 25% designed as affordable for family homes earning between 40 and 80 percent in the area, based on median income. The project will be set to become the largest mass timber residential project in New York City and situated between Front Street and Stapleton Waterfront. The main rendering, which is in our LinkedIn feed you can have a look at. It, shows two close-up views of the facade, while also showing a composition of light grey panelling, framing, floored ceiling windows and recessed terraces with glass railings Impressive render images. If you want to go and have a look, you can head to our LinkedIn feed. We've got a link to the article there and our good friends to the podcast Swinderton slash Timber Lab have completed California State University's first mass timber building at Chico State.
Speaker 1:Mass timber delivers a practical solution and this news report details exactly what they delivered in a design-build partnership with Dreyfus Blackford Architects. The $14.5 million 22,132-square-foot two-story facility consolidates campus operations into a single efficient, forward-looking structure. Mass timber elements orchestrated by Timberlabs serve as both a sustainable and aesthetic choice. Elements orchestrated by timber lab servers both a sustainable and aesthetic choice, embracing the workplace space with biophilic warmth and significantly reduced embodied carbon. Go and check out our linkedin feed and you'll be able to see this impressive project.
Speaker 1:And I met the startup inventwood in portland, oregon many years ago when they were exhibiting. They have now come up with a new product which they now call super wood, a material that they believe is stronger and lighter than steel, with 90 percent the lower carbon emissions compared to widely used alloys. According to the firm, it's super wood has a 50 percent more tensile strength compared to steel, has minimal expansion and contraction for class a fire rating all the crucial details for architects who might someday use super wood in their buildings. The startup has already received 15 million dollars in series, a funding which will go straight towards setting up the company's first factory for the product. So watch this space for super wood. It might be the next evolution in timber and construction. Watch this space.
Speaker 1:Very innovative product and SFU Simon Fraser University has officially commenced construction on its new eight-story student residence at its Barnaby campus, making a significant step forward in ongoing housing expansion. The latest development, known as phase three, will introduce 445 additional beds. Additionally, it will comprise of six self-contained studios, four bedroom apartments, two and four bedroom townhouses designed with sustainability in mind, using you-know-what mass timber construction. So fantastic project $196 million to see this study lounges, laundry room, communal kitchen, eight-story building on the campus come to life. So go and check out the renders at our LinkedIn feed. It's due for completion in autumn 2027. That's it, folks. That's all we've got time for this week.
Speaker 1:In Mass Timber Construction Land A lot going on. Those are the top stories from around the world. Thank you to our 30k followers, subscribers to our LinkedIn feed. We really do appreciate your support. Thank you for supporting this podcast and we look forward to bringing you more news as the weeks roll through 2025. Good morning, good afternoon or good evening, wherever you are in the world today, this is Paul Cramer signing off on the Mass Timber Construction Podcast. Thank you you.