Mass timber: evaluating construction performance

ABSTRACTThis research investigates the added value or negative impact of mass timber construction (MTC) when compared with traditional site built construction. The project documented mass timber case studies and collected cost and schedule data for each built case from three stakeholders – architect, general contractor, and mass timber fabricator. This data were compared with site built cost and schedule performance data provided by cost estimation firm Cummings Corp. for building types of similar size. The study found that mass timber improves project cost when compared with traditional site built construction. In addition to the quantitative comparison, a survey protocol of qualitative opportunities and challenges associated with MTC was solicited from project stakeholders. This resulted in an analysis of frequent lessons learned and best practices for mass timber project delivery for to be taken into consideration by stakeholders.