Mass Timber Site Visit Shows Future of Wood Buildings

In early November a group of engineers, architects, economic developers, and company representatives toured a tall-wood building in Boston. With the Canadian border reopening, it was an opportunity for cross-border partners to come together and see first-hand the progress on a historic building project. The seven story apartment project in Boston’s Lenox Hill will be almost entirely built of cross-laminated timber beams and posts. In addition to the aesthetic and architectural advantages, this form of building offers simpler on-site construction and therefore lower costs. Mass timber buildings also have the potential to replace concrete and steel in mid-sized urban buildings. This change would dramatically transition construction away from building materials that have a negative climate impact (concrete production is one of the main producers of carbon dioxide) towards renewable, carbon-sequestering building materials.

Vermonters present included Brattleboro green building expert Eli Gould, who is USA Representative for the QWEB Advanced Wood Structures Group. Also present were BDCC’s Jen Stromsten who is part of a statewide initiative run by the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, along with Christine McGowan who runs the VSJF Mass Timber group. Christine’s group at VSJF is seeking avenues to expand Vermont’s forest economy. With growing demand for mass timber products, Vermont has an opportunity to play a role in this emerging building sector.

Southern Vermont’s leadership in green building was the basis for the Ecovation Hub, a federally funded (EDA) cluster development initiative designed to foster jobs and businesses to replace those lost to the closure of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.