Chris Craiker

When we think of commercial and multi-story construction, steel, brick and concrete usually comes to mind. After all, since the late 1800s, our cities have become super muscular, highly dependent on these products. But their toll on our planet and its environment has become devastating. Do we have alternatives to build our future construction growth, expected to increase by 40% by 2040. …Sustainability and environmentally correct construction materials have become a focus of the 21st-century. Tall buildings of timber are in the works throughout Europe. Commercial construction and multi-story buildings, even up to 10 stories, can benefit from the use of wood heavy timber. Technology has shown that heavy timber construction, sometimes called mass timber, allows precise construction and economic production of members faster, low energy production, sustainably harvested and with less manual labor. Timber is local, and production processing can be minimal compared to steel or concrete.