Ten years can transform a niche into a movement. We’re back with a packed update that traces mass timber’s surge from small conference rooms to global milestones, spotlighting the people, projects, and playbooks that make low‑carbon building practical. We kick off with the International Mass Timber Conference turning ten in 2026—an open call for submissions that signals how far the field has come and how much the community now drives the agenda with real‑world data and project outcomes.

Research sits at the centre of this momentum. We share a decade‑wide literature review that charts progress in fire strategy, moisture management, acoustics, and connection design—areas that once felt like barriers and now read like solvable design choices. That research energy pairs with education on the ground: the first comprehensive textbook on managing mass timber projects arrives to help builders plan procurement, sequencing, and risk with confidence, while Kew’s Saffron Learning Centre demonstrates net zero performance and Passive House targets through CLT, airtight envelopes, and simple, smart services.

Design innovation is pushing the boundaries of scale and clarity. We dig into a hybrid glulam–steel truss spanning 85 metres, optimised with parametric tools so timber takes compression and steel takes tension, with visible connection craft that teaches as it impresses. We also head to Germany for Brainergy Hub—a circular timber‑hybrid landmark and social heart of a new innovation park focused on renewable energy, bioeconomy, and digitalisation—showing how civic projects can normalise timber at scale and set the tone for a greener urban identity.

If you’re building, studying, or simply curious about where architecture and carbon accountability meet, this conversation maps the latest proof points and the next steps. Subscribe, share this with a colleague who needs a spark, and leave a review telling us which project or insight you want us to unpack next.

Send us a text

Support the show