Designing for mass timber is like learning a new language: you don’t know what you don’t know... …unless, of course, you work with somebody who does.
You need someone in your corner who understands wood design, procurement, and construction in a holistic way. At ASPECT, we pride ourselves on our understanding of the full project design, production, and construction process. We know the needs and nuances of mass timber design and construction, and have tailored our suite of services to directly address these needs.
WHY MASS TIMBER?
Adopting mass timber offers a number of benefits, including but not limited to:
Sustainability & Carbon Footprint
Mass timber is a renewable resource with a significantly lower embodied carbon footprint compared to conventional steel and concrete buildings. It contributes positively to sustainability targets and can support LEED, and other green building certifications.
Speed of Erection
Mass timber elements are prefabricated off-site, resulting in faster on-site assembly. Faster speed of erection supports accelerated schedules and proposed milestone deadlines and can result in various cost benefits based on equipment, staff, and reduced disruptions.
Aesthetic & Biophilic Benefits
Exposed timber interiors offer natural warmth and beauty, enhancing occupant wellbeing and aligning with contemporary design trends that prioritize biophilic principles.
Cost Competitiveness
Traditionally, mass timber has come at a cost premium, but volatility in steel pricing and potential tariffs mean the cost gap has narrowed or even reversed. In addition, hybrid schemes using both steel and timber can optimize material use and cost while still capturing the benefits of timber.
HERE’S WHERE WE COME IN
Our team is happy to get involved during different stages of the design and construction process, offering our full range of services or limiting ourselves to a single scope, supporting what each project needs.
We add the most value when we can pair our services together. This approach makes better use of existing project knowledge, limits scope hand-offs, and can better leverage competition amongst the global mass timber supply chain.
Services at every level
Whether we’re the Engineer of Record, assisting with the design, or providing Fabrication Design services, we are thinking about what we can do to make life a bit easier for others.
Many members of the ASPECT team started their careers in other disciplines, pulling from their experience working as carpenters, contractors, suppliers, or architects to contribute to a wider understanding of the value that structural engineers can bring to a project. Our team-based approach focuses on better design and unwavering accountability.
