Helping Public Agencies Meet Their Goals with Mass Timber
Public agencies across Washington are under increasing pressure to deliver facilities that meet climate mandates while replacing aging facilities and building new community infrastructure. Mass timber construction offers a powerful opportunity to reduce the embodied carbon of construction, support rural economies and the timber industry, promote forest ecosystem health, and create healthy, inspiring public buildings.
However, many agencies are missing the technical expertise to effectively integrate mass timber in their construction projects. Our Mass Timber Ready program provides targeted early-stage support to public agencies planning new civic or community facilities.
Intended audience:
- Cities and counties
- Tribal Governments
- Higher education institutions
- School districts
- Parks departments
- Libraries
- Public development authorities
- Special purpose governments
- Owner's representatives
Our goal is to help agencies determine whether mass timber is a viable option—and set the project up for success.
The Mass Timber Ready program helps public agencies achieve community and climate goals for their capital projects. We provide a range of services customized to the needs of each agency -- from feasibility studies to budget reviews to wood sourcing strategy.
Maybe you're an office of sustainability looking to understand how mass timber can be utilized in upcoming capital projects.
Perhaps you're a library system overhauling a number of branches and looking for a unified mass timber strategy.
Or a Tribal government looking to build a new Longhouse using your own timber.
Or a Parks Department committed to using timber in a new community center but looking for third party budget review and technical assistance.
A representative selection of services is listed below:
Mass Timber Feasibility Support
We help agencies evaluate whether mass timber is a good fit for their project.
Services may include:
- Code and regulatory considerations
- Structural system and building typology alignment
- Embodied carbon reduction analysis (timber vs. baseline)
- Order-of-magnitude cost-benefit analysis
- Third party review of project estimates and schedules
- Mass timber procurement and sustainable wood sourcing opportunities
- Case study review of comparable projects in other jurisdictions
- Identification of project risks and opportunities
Deliverable: Mass Timber Feasibility & Recommendations Package
Procurement & RFQ Support
Mass timber projects benefit from thoughtful procurement strategies that attract experienced design and construction teams.
We assist agencies with:
- RFQ language and evaluation criteria
- Procurement models that support timber delivery
- Owner education on project delivery options
- Aligning climate goals with project requirements
Deliverable: Mass Timber-Ready RFQs for AEC Team
Team Selection Guidance
Choosing the right team is critical to the success of a timber project.
We help agencies:
- Identify qualified design and construction management teams
- Develop evaluation criteria for timber expertise
- Participate in selection interviews as technical advisors
- Connect agencies with industry leaders
Deliverable: Expert-informed project team selection
Contact us for more information.
For more information on our new Mass Timber Ready Program please contact our Executive Director Erica Spiritos at erica@wamasstimber.org.