Mass Timber Group

05/29/2025

05/29/2025

The world's tallest mass timber building is making headlines. But the height? That’s not the point.

This is about rethinking how we design cities—starting with who buildings are for.

In this episode of the Mass Timber Group Show we learn how...

Nate Helbach and his team at Neutral are taking a different approach, and saying no to:

❌ Amenities-as-marketing gimmicks

Helbach critiques the trend of tiny, underused amenities just to check a box.

❌ Passive tenants & disconnected communities

He’s actively designing for engagement and connection, not isolation.

❌ Siloed development + old-school capital

Neutral is rethinking who gets to participate in building these places beyond just big firms and funds.

Instead, they’re building something better...

✅ An amenity hub that actually gets used

Neutral consolidates wellness, fitness, and community into a shared anchor space designed for actual impact, not just marketing.

✅ Buildings that foster real connection

By stripping out distractions and centering shared experience, they’re designing for social health and resident retention.

✅ Accessible capital with aligned goals

Neutral lowers barriers for investors and builds transparency into every deal inviting more people to shape the future of sustainable housing.

👉 Mass Timber Group Show
👉 Hosted by Brady Potts & Nic Wilson

▶️ Watch on YouTube
👂 Listen Wherever You Podcast

https://www.masstimber.group/podcast/the-tallest-mass-timber-building-in-north-america-is-only-half-the-story

05/27/2025

What if you designed a 10-story timber building… with no concrete core? That’s exactly what Ryan McClanaghan of DIALOG did with his team —in seismic-heavy Vancouver.

❌ No concrete core.
❌ No compromises.
❌ No “we’ve always done it this way.”

Just exposed timber perimeter buckling restraint braces, and the guts to rethink everything.

Why it matters:

👉 This isn’t theory—it’s the real structural system behind The Hive, one of North America’s most daring mass timber offices.

👉 They passed seismic, nailed biophilic design, and still gave every tenant a balcony.

👉 And the way they did it has huge implications for anyone in architecture, engineering, or construction who’s even thinking about using timber at scale.

In this interview, Ryan walks through exactly how they pulled it off—what worked, what didn’t, and what every project team should learn from it.

📖 Inside the article:

✅ The core-killing moment that changed the structural system
✅ How timber beat expectations (and Vancouver’s seismic code)
✅ Why collaboration—not codebooks—made it possible
✅ What this means for hybrid systems going forward

Stop guessing. Start learning from people who’ve done it.

👇 Listen to the episode + read the full breakdown

https://www.masstimber.group/podcast/this-10-story-timber-build-broke-the-rules--the-hive-w-ryan-mcclanaghan

05/27/2025

🐝 A Masterpiece in a Seismic City
🏗️ The Hive, Vancouver, British Columbia
📰 Here's what we learned from the project team:

The goal was to build a seismically safe mass timber building.

👉🏼 The timber-braced frame and CLT shear wall systems underwent small-scale and full-scale testing at the University of Alberta and the University of Queens, providing valuable engineering information for future projects.

👉🏼 The building's distinctive honeycomb shape on the exterior is a direct reflection of this structural system. The diagonally oriented glulam braces create a cellular pattern.

👉🏼 The Hive is targeting a minimum LEED Gold certification. It features 100% electric mechanical systems, natural thermal insulators, and a biophilic design for the interior spaces. Plus, eliminating the concrete core in lieu of mass timber contributes to a reduced environmental impact.

♻️ The Hive is a pioneering mass timber project that demonstrates how innovative design and collaborative problem-solving can overcome complex challenges, particularly in seismic regions. By utilizing a unique perimeter timber braced frame and CLT shear wall system, incorporating advanced seismic dampeners validated through extensive testing, and designing prefabbed balcony elements, the team has created a seismically resilient, highly sustainable, and visually striking building. The project serves as a valuable case study for the evolving mass timber industry, highlighting the potential for hybrid timber structures and the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing.

📰 Read the full article to see what the AEC and mass timber teams had to say about their experience working on this magnificent project.

https://www.masstimber.group/post/the-hive-crafting-north-americas-tallest-timber-braced-masterpiece-in-a-seismic-city
❓ What project should we cover next? Let us know below!
We'll be releasing original Mass Timber spotlight articles every week!

05/27/2025

You’re sold on mass timber buildings.
But your GC’s never built one...
Will the VE list start with timber?

The design is beautiful.

The vision’s clear.

The client is excited.

Mass timber is on the table.

And then…

The GC says:

“We’re seeing a 15% premium.”

“Let’s wait to bring in suppliers.”

“We’ll figure out MEP coordination onsite.”

“We might have to VE the timber out.”

The mood shifts.
The energy dips.

Suddenly, the conversation’s about risk—not opportunity.

You watch months of design start to unravel.

That perfect balance of carbon story, speed, and aesthetic?

It’s slipping.

One vague estimate, one missed detail, one uninformed comment at a time.

And here’s the thing:

Your GC might not be wrong.

They just might not be ready.

🔍 This guide breaks down 5 red flags to look for in your GC’s approach to mass timber - and 10 questions every owner should ask before you move one more inch into design development.

Don’t let your mass timber story die in Precon.

👇 Full article below.

https://www.masstimber.group/post/how-to-know-if-your-gc-is-set-up-to-deliver-mass-timber-right

07/28/2023

➡️ Award-winning projects 🌲💚🌲
➡️ Credit Valley Hospital | Western Archrib & Farrow Partners
➡️ The vision: "To be the finest hospital in Canada"

The Credit Valley Hospital is an awe-inspiring example of how flexible can be in the hands of a gifted architect - Tye Farrow and team

“We decided to create an environment that appeared to be alive and growing,” says Farrow, a senior partner at Farrow Partnership Architects. He made a few sketches and foamcore models for the 11,500-square-foot space before creating a triangular floor plan centered on four sprawling columns comprising Douglas fir glulam (glue-laminated) members.

The massive engineered timbers curve 44 feet 6 inches up to the beams that support the atrium roof. Like trees, the structural columns sprout almost seamlessly into glulam branches that further support the roof frame.

The glulam total more than 25,000 cubic feet of

The original drawings called for external steel connectors. But Timber Systems president Gary Williams felt that the metal would disrupt the aesthetic—“Trees,” he notes, “don’t have sideplates”—so the Timber Systems team spent hours devising a system of concealed connectors.

🏆 Awards:
➡️ Ontario Association Of Architects - Architectural Excellence Award - 2008
➡️ Building Better Healthcare Awards - Best International Design Award Winner - 2007

👀 Read more:
➡️ Wester Archrib >> https://loom.ly/sHUfxek
➡️ Farrow Partners >> https://loom.ly/Pxoq12U

07/27/2023

🌲America's market is exploding
🌲We're growing 25% a year
🌲Here's what insiders know that you should too...

North American Mass Timber industry will shape the future of sustainable building.

Hardy Wentzel, a seasoned veteran with four decades of executive experience in the wood products industry, tells us how.

🌲 He shares his insights about the growth and evolution of the Mass Timber industry through his role as CEO of Structurlam Mass Timber (now Mercer Mass Timber).

🌲 The rise and adoption rate of Mass Timber in Europe is a model for what to come here in North America.

🌲 Setting up mass timber factories is an expensive undertaking, $10 to $100's of millions.

🌲 Saw milling plays a critical role in Mass Timber products - and we already have the world's best.

🌲 Hardy credits much of his success to the mentorship he received from industry leaders. He shares about the people who have inspired him in the Mass Timber world, underlining the importance of investment in the next generation.

🌲 Hardy’s vision for the future of the industry and his invaluable advice is a must-hear.

🌲 Be inspired by and get educated on the future of Mass Timber.
Podcasts: https://loom.ly/erjq-8k
YouTube Show: https://loom.ly/e5U9j-A

07/26/2023

🌲A treehouse-inspired school!
🌲Our children's learning spaces are so much better...
🌲The project is impressive. 👇 Here's the scoop.

The South Langford Elementary School
- Treehouse Inspired
- 45,000 square feet
- 20 Rooms
- Daycare
- Soccer Pitch
- 70% reduction in emissions

"The design team wanted to inspire students to explore their environment through natural play and discovery. The school is imagined as a tree house embedded into the rugged terrain on one side and perched on the other side, with sweeping views of the surrounding landscape. The façade is an articulation of the light that filters through the vertical gaps between the trees in a forest."
Learn more >>> https://loom.ly/S0Ae40E
Schools are at the forefront of the .
What other school have you seen use mass timber?

07/25/2023

Spend 150 more days/year connected with nature.
How? Bring nature inside.
The latest news out of the Faroe Islands

The University of the Faroe Islands
- 8,000 square meter campus
- +
- Turf roof

"Home to some of the world’s oldest functioning timber buildings, dating as far back as the 11th century, the Faroe Islands’ enduring historic structures, traditional craftmanship and characteristic architecture have been a distinct inspiration for the design of the university extension."

👏 Larsen
See more >>> https://loom.ly/TUwS7FU
Potts | @ Nic Wilson | Timber Group

07/24/2023

🤔 Can single family homes be built with mass timber?
✅ Yes, they can. And we do.
👀 Here's just one example 👇 we found.

Villa Wood: A Single Family Mass Timber Masterpiece
- 3 floors
- Central stairway provides natural ventilation
- Heat exchanger & underfloor heating
- Passive solar heating
- Lye finished exposed CLT inside
- Shou sugi ban traditional Japanese charring method on the outside

Learn more >>> https://loom.ly/xQipvSc
Timber Group | Wilson | Potts

07/21/2023

😎 What's the coolest Mass Timber building?
🤟 Its going to be tough to beat this one...
👉 Here's why. 👇 (Its awesome)

+ Epp is at it again - and they are crushing it.

Introducing, The Hive
-10 stories of jaw-dropping &
- 150,000 sqft
- No concrete core
- Tallest braced-frame building in North America
- LEED Gold Target (at least)

Read More >> https://loom.ly/PISo9w0

Anybody think they can top this one?
Mass Timber Group