Mass Timber Schools
Overview
For the wellbeing of students, teachers, and administrators across Washington, we are working to establish mass timber as the default choice for K-12 school construction in Washington and nationally. This accelerator is designed to: (1) enable school districts in Washington, and nationally, to confidently say yes to building new facilities with mass timber, and (2) reduce friction during the project delivery process.
Our vision: 50 school districts committing to mass timber by 2028, and 50 new mass timber school projects underway by 2038.
This project is funded by the US Forest Service, through a Wood Innovation Grant.
If you would like to schedule a meeting with our Mass Timber Schools expert committee, please contact us at erica@wamasstimber.org.
The Journey - Identify | Distill | Engage | Share
- Identify the real barriers and concerns to building mass timber schools.
- Distill learning from the 200+ education projects already completed in the U.S.
- Develop a comprehensive strategy to engage WA school districts.
- Build a community of problem solvers, facilitators and ambassadors.
- Create a suite of open-source iterative resources.
- Collect and disseminate evidence based, peer reviewed performance data.
- Deliver a statewide strategy to make mass timber the default choice for schools.
Related Resources
Acoustic Testing for Washington School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth
This report summarizes acoustic testing at the Washington School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (WSD) conducted by LSTN Consultants (Denis Blount and Leah Guszkowski) on Thursday, January 2, 2025. Detailed test reports are attached as appendices to this document. The intent of the testing was to measure the in-situ acoustic performance of various mass timber floor-ceiling assemblies throughout the campus’ newly completed facilities. The building was designed by Mithun (architect), PCS Structural Solutions (structural engineer) and A3 Acoustics (acoustic consultant).
Light Wood-Frame and Mass Timber Educational Buildings
Provides information on incorporating mass timber in educational facilities and includes relevant case studies.
United States Forest Services (USFS) Wood Innovation Report: Multi-story Mass Timber K-12 Schools
Studies the possibilities in multi-story mass timber construction for K-12 schools in Washington to support the demand for additional learning spaces that are adaptable to changing educational needs, are financially viable, and promote resilience.
Wood Use in British Columbia Schools
Commissioned by Forestry Innovation Investment, a Crown agency responsible for promoting the BC forest industry, the report is intended to be a resource for school districts, administrators, and design professionals curious about the use of wood in school design and construction.