Three Regions Explore Mass Timber

A study of multifamily housing options and manufacturing supply in three U.S. cities.

Funded by a USFS Wood Innovation Grant

This series unveils a macroeconomic study of building with mass timber in three U.S. regions; the Upper Midwest, Rocky Mountain Colorado, and the Southeast. Three companies - SCB, LeMessurier, and Turner Construction - collaborated for two years under a USFS Wood Innovation Grant to redesign buildings in Minneapolis, Denver, and Atlanta; revealing cost differences, schedule savings, global warming potential savings, and design considerations of each. Building studies were complemented by comprehensive mapping of the mass timber supply chain, with a focus on its potential impact on forests in the United States.

Below are pdfs of our work, intended for download and use by owners/ developers, architects, engineers, construction managers, city planners, and others to advance mass timber construction.

Building Case Studies

Three Buildings Case Studies

Summary presentation of the redesign, global warming potential, cost and construction considerations of three building case studies: Types IV-A, -B, and -C. Conducted by SCB, LeMessurier, Turner Construction Company.

Three Buildings Case Studies

A longer presentation of the design and LCA process for each building, with detailed takeaways.

Forest Supply Chain Analysis

North American Mass Timber

We chose forests to study in all three regions of the forests. These analyses of species, forest products industry infrastructure, certifications, ownerships and challenges examine each region’s potential to play a role in the mass timber supply chain through sustainably grown wood products.

Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan

Forests and forest product supply chain.

Rocky Mountain Colorado

Forests and forest product supply chain.

U.S. Southeast

Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina: Forests and forest product supply chain.

This work was funded by a U.S. Forest Service Wood Innovation Grant and the in-kind contributions of SCB, LeMessurier, Turner Construction Company, Carbon Leadership Forum, KL&A Engineers, Meyers, Johnson & Borgman, The Boston Society of Architects, and AIA- Minnesota, AIA-Colorado, and AIA-Georgia. The award was made to and managed by Olifant.