What is Mass Timber, and how can it help solve climate change?
renewable
Mass Timber is a renewable material because of its ability to be recycled and reused in different methods.
Because wood is a natural resource it can be replenished easily through sustainable forestry practices.
carbon sequestration
Wood is comprised of ~50% carbon by dry weight. A standard size Mass
Timber building stores up to 3150 tons of carbon each year. Giving the occupants and environment fresh oxygen.
reforestation not deforestation
Due to strict regulations for modern forestry standards, the continuous use of wood as a building material ensures landowners keep their land as forests and invest in practices to keep trees healthy.
They are also required to plant trees as they are cut down.
Our lead residential designer brings extensive experience in both residential and commercial mass timber design. Their background includes designing custom homes and larger structures using innovative materials such as cross-laminated timber (CLT), fabricated glulam beams, and glulam truss systems. By blending traditional structural methods such as steel framing with the natural beauty and warmth of wood, they create designs that are not only structurally efficient but also architecturally stunning and sustainably inspired.
Mass timber is quickly becoming the future of sustainable building design. Celebrated for its remarkable fire resistance and cost efficiency, it offers nearly the same structural performance as steel while significantly reducing environmental impact. Glulam beams introduce a unique architectural character—providing warmth, texture, and design flexibility that traditional steel systems simply cannot match.
Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) serves as a versatile structural solution that can replace conventional floor, roof, and even load-bearing wall systems. When combined with glulam framing, these materials form the foundation of modern mass timber construction—delivering strength, efficiency, and aesthetic appeal in one cohesive, sustainable system.
CLT (Cross Laminate Timber)
Image by: Structuremag
Glulam Beams
Image by: Kalenskinoff
Glulam beams are engineered by joining individual laminations end to end, allowing for impressive spans—sometimes reaching up to 100 feet in commercial applications. Each beam is bonded with a durable, moisture-resistant adhesive, ensuring exceptional strength and longevity.
This versatility makes glulam an ideal choice for both interior and exterior applications, enabling creative architectural expressions such as cantilevered design elements with greater ease and significantly reduced costs compared to traditional materials.
While CLT and glulam are the most common forms of mass timber construction, other innovative systems such as Dowel-Laminated Timber (DLT) and Nail-Laminated Timber (NLT) are also gaining traction. Each of these methods offers the structural integrity needed to construct an entire home using mass timber, providing unique aesthetic and performance advantages.
Incorporating mass timber into residential design is a relatively new yet rapidly growing movement. Its popularity continues to rise due to the remarkable environmental and economic benefits it offers. Choosing a mass timber home means joining a forward-thinking community of homeowners dedicated to sustainable living and contributing to a healthier planet for future generations.
For more information go to: www.woodworks.com
Hillsboro OR
United States
CALL OR TEXT: 503-746-3761