Mass Timber Construction Podcast
Mass Timber Construction Podcast
Mass Timber Market Updates - Apr 2025 - Week Seventeen
Dive into the cutting-edge world of sustainable construction with the latest episode of the Mass Timber Construction Podcast! We're breaking down the most exciting developments happening globally in the mass timber space that are revolutionising how we think about building materials.
The spotlight this week falls on Rothoblas's Build the Impossible competition, which has opened registration for innovative hybrid structures featuring timber. This prestigious contest welcomes projects at any stage—from conceptual designs to completed buildings—with submissions open until September 15th. The competition has expanded its design criteria to include systems like Al-Umega Radial Ring and TC Fusion Lock, acknowledging that modern construction often requires strategic combinations of materials for optimal performance.
We explore several groundbreaking projects showcasing mass timber's versatility across North America. The University of Wisconsin-Madison has begun construction on their massive 395,000 square foot Philip A. Levy Engineering Centre, which will feature sustainable timber components. Cincinnati Public Radio has unveiled its stunning $32 million headquarters with exposed CLT elements and an impressive atrium. Meanwhile, the city of Bend is developing a $130 million public works campus with CLT ceilings and support beams that will bring together five municipal departments under one sustainably constructed roof.
Looking globally, we share updates about the breathtaking wooden timber ring being constructed for the 2025 Osaka Expo—a structure whose massive scale has to be seen to be believed. As we celebrate Earth Day, these projects represent tangible progress toward more environmentally responsible building practices. Check out our LinkedIn feed for impressive photos of these structures and don't forget to explore our newly released research paper if you're interested in the academic side of mass timber innovation. Like, subscribe, and join us as we continue tracking how timber is transforming the construction industry worldwide!
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 Team of Construction podcast for another week. I hope you're keeping well. Thank you for tuning in. Make sure you like subscribe, share, comment on any of our posts. We really appreciate it, and we've just had a release of a new research paper on our academic arm, so please go check that out if you're interested in looking at mass timber research. We've got some exciting things to share with you on the show today, so let's get into it. Let's have a look at what's making news around the world this week.
Speaker 1:In mass timber construction land, and as announced on LinkedIn and hinted at in the last podcast episode, rothobast has the Build the Impossible competition available now for registration. This year. The competition is really looking at hybrid structures with a prevalent use of timber. We understand in industry that mass timber itself is not the only material. It is one of many materials, and so they have opened up the design criteria to include Al-Umega Radial Ring, TC Fusion Lock and Disc Flat, plus any other solutions that you care to use from the website. You can use the resources tab on their website to download all the information, and the aim of this particular initiative is to promote the innovative use of strategically optimized material choices in cutting edge structures. There are permitted project types for this particular competition and projects may be submitted in all phases, from preliminary design, final design, executive design, projects under construction and completed projects. You can download a document which has all the regulations attached to it, including the specification for the types of projects, and it is an impressive competition. Winners have been noted as being quite prestigious, as having won this particular award. There's also a list of all the judges so you can see who will be adjudicating as to what your project submission will be assessed against in terms of their background. So please go and check out all of that and the prizes you probably want to know what the prizes are going to be. Well, they're listed on the website as well. Are going to be Well, they're listed on the website as well. So if you go and have a look at buildtheimpossiblerothoblastcom buildtheimpossiblerothoblastcom that would be the place to go Now. Important part stage one registration and collection of all projects, which is possible from the 25th of the 3rd, which is March, and the deadline for registration of your project is the 15th of September this year. So you've got plenty of time to get yourself in order and we will keep you updated as news and information comes to hand. So get on top of it. Build the impossible. Rutherblast competition fantastic. Get involved.
Speaker 1:And the University of Wisconsin-Madison has broken ground on the new engineering building after a funding fight that saw the new structure used as a political bargaining chip. However, in the end, it will feature a mass timber building with sustainable components. The 395,000 square foot Philip A Levy Engineering Centre will occupy a 2.5 acre site in the heart of the school's engineering campus and was announced on April 17. This is the third time the university has constructed a new engineering academic building over the last six decades to meet the ever-growing demand. Per the release that was given around the media reports for this particular project, the university features some images of this brand new building. So head there or head to our LinkedIn feed. And 21 months after Cincinnati, public Radio made a significant stride forward with its brand new office and studio Skanska has delivered and christened a 35,000 square foot, $32 million headquarters that was made from you guessed it sustainable construction material at the cutting edge, utilizing CLT or mass timber. Cutting edge utilizing CLT or mass timber. The media release goes on to talk about how proud they are about the building and the types of savings that they get from the use of mass timber. The building is very impressive. It has an amazing gray atrium with exposed CLT elements, aluminum curtain wall system and it has got glass all the way through. It's quite impressive. So go and have a look at the images online or head to our LinkedIn feed, or head to the Cincinnati Public Radio website.
Speaker 1:And staying in the US now and Bend has a new $130 million public works package to deliver two buildings. To deliver two buildings, a warehouse-style structure and a versatile administrative office, which will make up Bend's future public works campus, which will bring together five city departments to streamline operations for the growing city. The $130 million project is finishing in autumn or fall. Construction began in 2023. The new campus will be the workplace for 250 city of bend staff, including engineering, transport, utilities facilities and fleet departments. The 45 000 square foot headquarters will be in the north entrance of the campus and it will have large office spaces and it is going to be using easy to clean concrete floors, using CLT ceilings and support beams. So it's going to be a hybrid construction.
Speaker 1:If you'd like to have a look at the impressive photos, you know where to head. Head to our LinkedIn feed. Finish up now. There are more and more and more photos coming out of the 2025 Osaka Expo and the large wooden timber ring. There is incredible construction photos. This thing is absolutely enormous. If you'd like to see some more, head to our LinkedIn feed.
Speaker 1:And it was Earth Day this week. Last weekend it was Earth Day, so happy Earth Day to everybody, belated that the podcast doesn't come out on the actual day. It's a week later, but it has been Earth Day, so congratulations and that's it. That's all we've got time for this week in Mass Timber Construction Land. I hope you had a great week. There's more to news to follow in the future. Don't forget head to the Build the Impossible Rothoblast competition and make sure that you get your entries in. Read all the details and specifications for the project. And it is a hybrid structure this year. A hybrid structure. 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.