Mass Timber Today – Details, episodes & analysis

Episode Summary

Jack Keays, an expert fire safety engineer and building code consultant, discusses his journey into the mass timber industry and the integral role of mass timber in his practice. He highlights the sustainability and aesthetic appeal of mass timber, as well as the importance of exposing the structure in design. Keays also addresses the misconceptions around fire safety in mass timber buildings and the need for better education and understanding in the insurance industry. He emphasizes the potential of mass timber in affordable housing and the challenges and opportunities in the future of mass timber design and construction.

In This Episode

Jack is an accomplished fire safety engineer, building code expert and mass timber innovator with extensive project experience in Canada and Middle East.

Jack has advanced analytical skills with the ability to recognize and address fire safety challenges while developing practical engineering solutions.

With each project, Jack engages both internal and external stakeholders in constructive and collaborative relationships. Jack brings value to each project by taking a holistic approach to fire and life safety and by working closely with a cross section of disciplines to deliver optimal solutions

Connect with Jack

• ⁠LinkedIn⁠
• ⁠Vortex Fire Consulting⁠

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Architectural museums in Denmark
• 3XN Architects and their mass timber projects
• Mass timber in the province of British Columbia

Land Acknowledgement

We wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land

Episode Summary Michael Suljak, Vice President of Strategic Development at Eastern Construction, discusses his journey into the mass timber sector and the benefits and challenges of building with mass timber. He highlights the beauty and satisfaction of working with mass timber, the need for coordination and collaboration among trades, and the importance of early involvement of fabricators and constructors in the design process. This includes the involvement of mass timber and in the notable T3 Bayside project located near Toronto's waterfront. Michael also discusses the speed and cleanliness of mass timber construction, the premium cost associated with it, and the motivations of owners in choosing mass timber.  He concludes by mentioning the potential for hybrid solutions in the future of mass timber. The conversation explores the challenges and opportunities of using mass timber in construction. It discusses the need for sustainable practices, the high costs of insurance during construction, the importance of early collaboration with mass timber suppliers, and the shortage of experienced professionals in the industry. Craig and Michael also touch on the economic benefits of mass timber, its impact on urban living, and the potential for hybrid structures combining mass timber with steel and concrete.  In This Episode The office of Strategic Development consolidates three work groups at Eastern Construction, namely, Estimating, Procurement, and Business Development. Michael defines and executes corporate strategy, guiding a team of individuals to ensure the smooth execution of day-to-day operations and overall adherence with corporate goals. As a seasoned construction professional with over 32 years of experience, Michael has been involved in Field Operations although his focus has been in Pursuit Management and Estimating. Most of his time have been spent honing his skills in this particular segment of the industry. Michael has led well over 500 pursuits comprising of various types of contract methods including: Lump Sum, Construction Management, Design Build, Modified Design Build, Integrated Project Delivery and Alternative Financing projects valued in excess of $250 million. Michael’s academic qualifications as a Professional Quantity Surveyor coupled with his track record in the field, has provided a solid foundation on which to manage relationships with existing and potential clients. Connect with Michael LinkedIn Eastern Construction  T3 Bayside Resources In This Episode

Episode Summary:

In this episode, our guest is Patrick Crabbe. Patrick is the Director of Mass Timber at Bird Construction – Bird is a publicly traded, commercial and industrial conglomerate, recognized as a top 5 General Contractor (GC) in Canada.

Patrick is also the leader of a Mass Timber Manufacturing start-up, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. MTC is a sawmill integrated, glulam focused entity, that is currently executing a $2.3M feasibility effort to code approve proprietary high performing mass timber products (made from undervalued-commodity maritime spruce, pine and fir) that will expand the needed capacity of North American mass timber products and positively impact sustainable forestry practises. 

Patrick’s professional career has been dedicated to developing markets for high-value structural wood products and working with industry to facilitate the manufacturing of mass timber. Through this experience, Patrick has a comprehensive understanding of construction contract methods supply chain solutions to set-up large, complex, mass timber build programs for success.

Patrick is an active member of the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (led by the World Bank) and a trusted advisor to Infrastructure British Columbia and the Canadian Wood Council.

Connect with Patrick:

• LinkedIn
• Bird Construction

Resources:

• Canadian Interactive Mass Timber Map https://nrcan-rncan.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/041e338d2a4d4b3a82ff2c238a9f0f93
• FEA Mass Timber Market Report (July 2022) – subscription only https://getfea.com/publication/global-mass-timber-panel-service
• RBC Imagine 2025 - https://www.rbccm.com/en/insights/imagine.page
• Timber Bay Tool https://www.fastepp.com/concept-lab/apps/timber-bay-design-tool/

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Craig Applegath has a conversation with Franco Piva. Franco is known as the Italian Timber Engineer and Founder of engineering company Ergodomus. His focus lies in sustainable timber projects around the world. Craig and Franco discuss the sustainability of mass timber as well as key challenges currently preventing the global adoption of mass timber. They also cover mass timber innovations Franco sees in his work, and the role that architects and engineers play in design for manufacture and assembly.

Connect with Franco:

• Linkedin

• Ergodomus

More by Franco Piva:

• 10 Reasons To Build With Mass Timber | by Craig Applegath |

Episode Summary:

In this episode, our host, Anne Koven speaks with Lacey Rose with the County of Renfrew in Ontario, Canada. Lacey is a Registered Professional Forester with the province of Ontario. In this episode, we investigate where the wood used in mass timber comes from in Canada, and how Lacey plays a part in ensuring this wood supply is sustainable, and what sustainable forestry really means. This conversation will really help builders and architects contextualize the origins of the wood they use.

About Lacey

Lacey’s work experience has ranged from field work in the Boreal forest, to writing a forest management plan for 250,000 hectares of Crown forest in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence forest, to now the hands-on management of the Renfrew County Forest, as the County Forester. In 2019, Lacey was the recipient of the James M. Kitz Award from the Canadian Institute of Forestry and the Forest Sector Champion Award from the Ontario Forest Industry Association. In 2017, she received the John H. Sellers Award from the Ontario Professional Foresters Association.

Outside of these roles, Lacey is the Co-Founder of Women in Wood, a network for women who work with, in and for the woods, and the host of the web-series “Mighty Jobs”. When she’s not working in the forest, she’s usually still talking about or hanging out in forests!

In this podcast episode, we discuss forest sustainability as it applies to the supply of mass timber to answer questions architects and builders might have such as "How do I know the wood I am getting is sustainable?", and "what is involved in the process of sustainable forest management?". Lacey also addresses important connections between mass timber, forestry, and climate change.

Connect with Lacey:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lacey-rose
• Women in Wood: https://www.womeninwood.ca/

Podcast Page: https://academic.daniels.utoronto.ca/masstimberinstitute/the-mass-timber-today-podcast/

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Anne Koven speaks with Alan Organschi. Alan is a Design Principal and partner at Gray Organschi Architecture in New Haven, Connecticut that is recognized internationally for its integration of design, construction, and environmental research. He is also the Director of the Innovation Lab at Bauhaus Erde. Anne and Alan discuss his current work at Bauhaus Erde as well as his work at Gray Organschi architecture. Alan informs us about how we need to work to design buildings for a circular economy of mass timber that is separate from an extractive industry. They also delve into his work that exposes him to communities holding essential knowledge about forest resources they live with and their role in the use of these materials. Additionally, he touches on carbon storage in mass timber buildings and ways we can improve the cost effectiveness of mass timber construction.

You can read Alan's full professional profile here on his website: https://grayorganschi.com/

Alan's Recommended Resources:

• Alan's Book | Carbon: A Field Manual for Building Designers: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Carbon%3A+A+Field+Manual+for+Building+Designers-p-9781119720768
• Detail Magazine's Timber Manual: https://www.detail.de/en/de_en/
• Timber and Forestry Books at Routeledge: https://www.routledge.com/

Alan's Websites:

• Bauhaus Earth: https://www.bauhauserde.org/
• Gray Organschi Architecture: https://grayorganschi.com/

About Mass Timber Today

The Mass Timber Today Podcast was created by the Mass Timber Institute at the University of Toronto's John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. This podcast series will explore the opportunities and challenges of sustainable mass timber construction. You can expect one on one interviews conducted by our hosts, Dr.Anne Koven and Craig Applegath. Anne is a professor at the University of Toronto, an Honourary Registered Professional Forester and Director of the Mass Timber Institute, and Craig Applegath is the Founding Partner of DIALOG. Anne and Craig will sit down with our guests to explore their insights about mass timber technology. The podcast aims to be a platform for a conversation amongst foresters, architects, engineers, builders, Indigenous community members, and developers.

Episode Summary

This is the first episode of the Mass Timber Today series. Craig Applegath, Principal of ⁠DIALOG ⁠sits down with the two founders of the ⁠Mass Timber Institute⁠ at the University of Toronto's⁠ John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design⁠; Professor Robert Wright, and Dr. Anne Koven. In this episode, the three discuss the inception and intent of the Mass Timber Institute, as well as what listeners can expect from the Mass Timber Today Podcast series.

In This Episode

Dr. Anne Koven

Connect with Anne

• Anne’s LinkedIn
• Anne’s Faculty Profile

Anne’s Recommended Resources

• Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
• Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard
• Mass Timber Building Science Primer by Ted Kesik
• Places of Production: Forest and Factory by Robert Wright
• The Arbornaut by Dr. Margaret Lowman

Professor Robert Wright

Connect with Rob

• Rob’s LinkedIn
• Rob’s Faculty Profile

Rob’s Recommended Resources

• Braiding Sweetgrass – Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
• Gratitude by Oliver Sacks
• Risk Thinking…in an Uncertain World by Ron S. Dembo

Craig Applegath

Connect with Craig

• Craig’s LinkedIn
• Craig’s Professional Website
• Craig’s Podcast: The Twenty First Centiry Imperative

Craig’s Recommended Resources

• A Trillion Trees – Restoring Our Forests by Trusting in Nature by Fred Pearce
• Islands of Abandonment – Nature Rebounding in the Post Human Landscape by Cal Flyn

About Mass Timber Today

The Mass Timber Today Podcast was created by the Mass Timber Institute at the University of Toronto's John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. This podcast series will explore the opportunities and challenges of sustainable mass timber construction. You can expect one on one interviews conducted by our hosts, Dr.Anne Koven and Craig Applegath. Anne is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto's Daniels Faculty, an Honourary Registered Professional Forester and Director of the Mass Timber Institute, and Craig Applegath is the Founding Partner of DIALOG. Anne and Craig will sit down with our guests to explore their insights about mass timber technology. The podcast aims to be a platform for a conversation amongst foresters, architects, engineers, builders, Indigenous community members, and developers.

Episode Summary

In this trailer, Shan Shukla, Research Coordinator at the Mass Timber Institute (MTI) takes a minute to introduce the Institute's newest project: The Mass Timber Today Podcast. Shan touches on what listeners can expect from the podcast in the future, and some goals the Institute hopes the podcast will help it achieve.

Connect with Shan

• ⁠Linke⁠⁠dIn⁠

⁠⁠⁠Shan's Recommended Resources:

• ⁠Educational Module⁠ about Forestry in Canada created by the MTI
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Overstory⁠ by Richard Powers
• ⁠Factfulness⁠ by Han Rosling

Episode Summary

In this episode, Craig Applegath and Ryan Going discuss various aspects of mass timber construction. They explore the longevity of mass timber buildings, highlighting the durability of various natural and engineered materials. Ryan speaks to his role and involvement in the construction of the University of Toronto's innovative Tall Academic Tower. They also delve into the economics of mass timber, addressing the need for more supply capacity and the challenges of permitting requirements. The conversation touches on the potential economic benefits of mass timber for rural and regional economies, as well as its impact on metropolitan cities. The role of mass timber in sustainable, affordable housing is also discussed, along with the potential of hybrid mass timber structures.

In This Episode

Ryan Going, P.Eng. is a construction manager with experience delivering large-scale buildings and civil projects across industrial, institutional, commercial and healthcare markets in Canada and the UK.

As a project manager with Pomerleau, Ryan is currently managing the delivery of the Academic Wood Tower for the University of Toronto, which at 14 storeys and 76m is the tallest wood structure under construction in Canada. Ryan is also a founding member of Pomerleau's National Wellbeing Committee which focuses on improving mental health supports for Pomerleau's 4000+ employees across the country. Ryan is a member of the Toronto Construction Association's Young Construction Leaders (YCL) Executive committee.

Ryan was named as one of Canada’s top 40 under 40 construction professionals in 2023 by OnSite magazine.

Connect with Ryan Going

• LinkedIn
• Pomerleau 
• Academic Wood Tower

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• The CLT Handbook by FPInnovations: https://web.fpinnovations.ca/clt/
• WoodWorks Canada: https://wood-works.ca/
• RDH's Moisture Rist Management Strategies for Mass Timber Buildings: https://www.rdh.com/resource/moisture-risk-management-strategies-for-mass-timber-buildings-v2/

We wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.

Episode Summary Jeff Ranson, Director of Responsible Development at Northcrest Developments, discusses his interest in sustainability and how mass timber fits into sustainable building design. He highlights the beauty and form of mass timber as a compelling aspect and its potential for creating good urban density. Ranson describes mass timber in relation to the development goals of the Downsview Airport Lands master plan, touching on sustainability, economic viability, and procurement methods. He discusses areas for innovation in mass timber construction and the importance of considering the environmental impacts of different building materials as a system. Ranson emphasizes the role of mass timber in addressing the housing crisis and the potential for hybrid structures and low carbon materials in the future. In This Episode  Jeff joined Northcrest Developments to lead the Responsible Development strategy for the redevelopment of the 370-acre Downsview Airport Lands in Toronto. He brings two decades of experience with sustainability leadership positions at BOMA Toronto, the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), Sustainable Buildings Canada, and Toronto 2030 District. He frequently advises on public policy including appointments to the City of Toronto Climate Advisory Group and the Waterfront Toronto Design Review Panel (2017-2023).  He received his MDes and the President’s Award for Graduate Studies at OCADU for his work on developing market transformation roadmaps for low-carbon housing in Peru and holds an HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University.    Connect with Jeff LinkedIn Northcrest Development  Resources Mentioned in this Episode CWC Wood Design Awards - http://www.wooddesignandbuilding.com/publication/   Michael Green TED talk: The Natural Building Blocks of Sustainable Architecture: https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_green_the_natural_building_blocks_of_sustainable_architecture    The 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design by William Browning, Catherine Ryan, Joseph Clancy.: https://www.terrapinbrightgreen.com/reports/14-patterns/   We wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.