Identifying the Level of Awareness and Challenges to Adopt Mass Timber by the Construction Practitioners in the United States
Publication: Construction Research Congress 2022
ABSTRACT
Mass timber is a promising building material that provides excellent structural rigidity, a low-environmental pollution footprint, and better use of natural resources. However, the adoption of mass timber is not free from challenges. Especially in the US construction industry, the material has not been accepted widely by practitioners due to inexperience and a lack of mass timber building construction projects. This study aims to determine the current awareness level among US construction practitioners regarding mass timber building material. It further identifies the existing challenges associated with the design, construction, and manufacturing process of this material. The results from 100 construction companies, 32 architectural firms, and 15 timber manufacturers show that US construction practitioners have a relatively low level of awareness and work experience in mass timber material. Among the respondents, 55% of building contractors and 30% of architects indicated that they have never been involved in a mass timber building construction project. Furthermore, a significant number of participants who were involved in the mass timber project stated that their experience level is between 1 and 5 years, indicating that the concept of mass timber is still in a very rudimentary level. Lack of timber manufacturing plants, inexperience, high cost of engineered wood, and code limitation are some of the perceived drawbacks identified by the participants. The outcomes of the study will be helpful to determine the actual feasibility of mass timber in the US construction industry.
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Construction Research Congress 2022
Pages: 502 - 512
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Published online: Mar 7, 2022
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