Mass Timber Construction Podcast
Mass Timber Construction Podcast
Mass Timber Market Updates - Mar 2025 - Week Twelve
The world of mass timber construction continues to evolve at breakneck speed, with groundbreaking innovations and substantial investments shaping our sustainable building future. This episode dives into several fascinating developments from around the globe, starting with a new PhD opportunity focused on user-centered, reconfigurable timber building systems—perfect for aspiring researchers looking to make their mark on this growing field.
We explore the remarkable Aiton 2 house by Manfred Lux in Germany, a monolithic cube that redefines ecological architecture through its completely dismantleable, glue-free timber construction. This prototype for adaptive, resource-efficient living demonstrates how digital fabrication and thoughtful design can create truly sustainable structures that can be fully disassembled and reused.
The podcast highlights Canada's significant commitment to forest innovation with the announcement of a $20 million investment supporting 67 projects in British Columbia's forest sector. Fast and Epp Structural Engineers received $170,000 for point-supported CLT testing and another $150,000 for their REACH design tool, while Forest Innovation Investment secured funding for nail-laminated timber research—all pointing to Canada's growing leadership in mass timber advancement.
We also share glimpses of the stunning Japan Pavilion planned for the 2025 Osaka Expo, described as a "living organism" and self-sustaining structure embodying transformation and reuse, along with HCMA Architecture's impressive Rosemary Brown Recreational Center in BC, which beautifully utilizes glulam beams and nail-laminated timber in its NHL-sized rink facility.
With the International Mass Timber Conference in Portland just days away (March 25-27), this episode serves as both a news update and a reminder of the incredible momentum building in the mass timber space. Subscribe to our podcast and follow our LinkedIn for ongoing updates from this dynamic industry that's literally building a more sustainable future!
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 Ramblin, your host. Good morning, good afternoon or good evening wherever you are in the world today, welcome to the Mass Timber Construction Podcast. It is week number 12 of 2025. Wow, the weeks are flying. We are already a substantial way into the new year and the Mass Timber Conference in Portland, oregon, is just around the corner. Are flying. We are already a substantial way into the new year and the mass timber conference in portland, oregon, is just around the corner 25th to 27th of march, which is this week that's coming up. So if you've got your tickets and your hotel booked and you've got your conference registration, you're set for an amazing time in port in Oregon, where the international mass timber community comes together to meet, to share, to talk about, to create friendships, collaborations and, of course, learn. So go well if you're at that event and plan your time carefully. Over 200 plus exhibitors, amazing workshops and, of course, arnie will be on the big stage talking to you about wood being good.
Speaker 1:Let's have a look at what's making news around the world this week in mass timber construction, land and out of the gate. Today, the first topic for this particular podcast is a PhD position has become available on user-centered, reconfigurable timber building systems. The deadline is the 31st of March. If you jump on our LinkedIn feed, you'll be able to get all the details and you may be the lucky recipient as long as your grades are good of this PhD, probably including stipend, but for more information, information, please head to our linkedin feed and look up the phd position that is available.
Speaker 1:An incredible project in alksberg in germany, which is a monolithic cube in traditional orchard near alksberg in germany, and it's a house called Aiton 2 by Manfred Lux. The collaboration redefines ecological architecture through dismantleable, glue-free timber construction designed as a prototype for adaptive, resource-efficient living. The structure relies on digitally fabricated wooden frame and forges new metal fasteners, ensuring complete disassembly and reuse. The house is based on an 80 centimeter structural grid allowing for variations in length and height, its serial construction principle making it scalable as a one to three story dwelling. If you want to have a look at this incredible house called Anton, you will be able to head to our LinkedIn feed and see the article there and whilst there is a lot of uncertainty in the world right now, there is no uncertainty as the Canadian government has announced an investment exceeding $20 million to support 67 projects aimed at strengthening British Columbia's forest sector.
Speaker 1:The funding unveiled by the minister said it will enhance competitiveness, sustainability and resilience in the industry. Among those projects, good friends to the podcast, fast and Ebb Structural Engineers received $170,000 for its post and panel project, which focuses on point-supported CLT testing to improve building code adoption. Additionally, the Reach design tool developed by FastSnap engineers got another $150,000 Canadian to offer a web application for designers to complete structural and carbon performance assessment across construction systems. Congratulations to everybody involved. Other good friends of ours, forest Innovation Investment received 115,000 Canadian to look at Canadian nail laminated timber. So you can see that there is a lot going on in the mass timber space in Canada at the moment. Congratulations to all 67 recipients of the grant money. It is great to see the progression in Canada. Let's bring it on in other places all around the world.
Speaker 1:And impressive, impressive images of the Japan Pavilion at the 2025 Osaka Expo, which is a living organism. This particular design for the Japan Pavilion is a self-sustaining structure that embodies the idea of continuous transformation and reuse. It is a beautiful piece of render at the moment until, obviously, they create it in full. I'm sure that it's underway right now, but if you'd like to go and have a look at the rendered drawings of the schematic that has been produced for the Japan's Expo Pavilion, please head to our LinkedIn feed. Please head to our LinkedIn feed, and HCMA Architecture and Design present the Rosemary Brown Recreational Center.
Speaker 1:The Rosemary Brown Recreational Center in Barnaby, british Columbia, was envisaged by HCMA Architecture and Design, and the building represents a modern re-imagining of a traditional ice arena, as it blends high-performance sports facilities with a welcoming community hub. This particular $459 million development spans 91,999 square feet and it has an NHL-sized rink that has arranged in a large L shape for the building, with a central lobby that connects the services to vibrant gathering spaces. The north-facing floor areas of the rink have daylight comprising of ice quality with the use of materials such as glulam beams and nail laminated timber enhances the space and the acoustic qualities and, of course, the aesthetic appearance of this multi-purpose facility. So if you'd like to see impressive photos of this finished structure, please head to our linkedin feed. And that's it, folks.
Speaker 1:That's all we've got time for this week in mass timber construction land. Get along to the international mass timber conference. If you don't, I'm sure that there will be a lot of people posting on and about it during its uh success in 25th to 27th of uh this month, march, so you're looking at four days time uh. It will be in a full swing uh and coming to an end. So if you are not going to Portland Oregon, stay tuned. We might have some updates that are coming through and certainly check out LinkedIn. Please hit subscribe. Make sure you like, comment, share, post any of our content. Good morning, good afternoon or good evening, wherever you are in the world today. This is Paul Kramer signing off on the mass timber construction podcast. Thank you, bye.