In this episode of the Mass Construction Show I speak with Ricky McLain, Senior Technical Director at Woodworks, a national nonprofit organization that works primarily with architects, structural engineers, and developers as a resource to provide education and 1-1 project-specific design support. We go beyond aesthetics and biophilia to discuss some practical benefits of mass timber for construction managers, the implications of adopting a hybrid model to combine mass timber with steel and/or concrete, and what the current supply chain issues look like for mass timber. 

Ricky provides an overview of massive timber, not as a product, rather as an umbrella term used to describe several products. He shares details about the panel construction and discusses how various products differ in how they are manufactured and used in construction. He gives great insight into the fire resistance capabilities and how mass timber can be used to accommodate the potential for fire. He covers code changes that catalyzed the growing conversation about mass timber over the last five years. 

Ricky points out that there are local programs that offer funding to support the use of timber as a means for reducing embodied carbon of projects, and he also explains how working with mass timber can help companies overcome the barriers to their projects from zoning issues and constraints.

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Intro music by Sound Revolution