Benefits of Wood Construction

What could wood do?

Diamond Food Innovation Center exterior
MARKET DIFFERENTIATOR
Be the one who branched out.

The aesthetic, biophilic, and other benefits of using wood offer market differentiators that can boost a project’s overall value.

Wood can contribute to a project’s sales proposition and create warm, beautiful environments that appeal to a new generation of eco-minded employees, residents, and occupants. Some builders and developers have reported higher sales, rental, and/or lease rates for wood buildings compared to similar non-wood structures.

One-to-Four Story Office Buildings Can Cost
20-30% less
per square foot than their non-wood counterparts.
A comparative analysis of one-to-four story office buildings constructed between 2009 and 2015 conducted by WoodWorks shows that wood offices can cost 20 to 30 percent less per square foot than their non-wood counterparts.
Added Value

Money grows on trees.

The developer for Clay Creative, a timber office building in Portland, Oregon, reports that tenants were willing to pay $7 more per square foot than a similar non-wood structure located across the river downtown.

Clay Creative exterior entrance
Clay Creative
Photo: Christian Columbres | Mackenzie Architects
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Fast and Efficient

Tree-conomics.

Wood is a sustainable, high-value building material. Building with wood is efficient, often completed faster than other systems, and can be done year-round in almost any climate. Wood can often be locally sourced from North American forests and is frequently less expensive than alternative building materials. It is readily available and tends to be delivered faster than other materials.

First cross-laminated timber building in New York
New Energy Works Tomorrowland interior
Photo: Scott Hemenway

ADAPTABLE

Wood do anything for you.

With the exclusion of major members that are made to spec off-site, wood can be adapted in the field, allowing quick solutions when changes are required.

Wood is also well suited to additions and retrofits. Wood systems can be dismantled with relative ease, and the materials can be used elsewhere.

Templar Flats apartments exterior
Templar Flats
Photo: Industryous Photography | Lintack Architects Inc.
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Trained and Ready

Efficiency experts.

Experienced wood contractors are widely available, and workers of varying skill levels can quickly learn wood construction techniques.

Architect portrait of Bob Alvarado
Robert Alvarado
Executive Officer
Northern California Carpenters Regional Council
Our members are trained, skilled, and ready to work.
Think Wood Carpenters Union
WoodWorks Contractor Training

Is your team ready for a changing built environment? Get trained for mass timber.

MODERN MULTIFAMILY

Natural human habitats.

As many cities grapple with an affordable housing crisis, wood can play an important role by improving access to economical, comfortable, and safe living spaces.

UW Housing Exterior
U of W Mercer Court / Elm Hall
Photo: Benjamin Benschneider | Mahlum Architects
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BRINGING THE OUTDOORS IN

Bio-feeling good!

More and more, research confirms that being exposed to natural materials can have positive effects on our sense of well-being.

This has led to an increase in the use of materials like wood as a key element of biophilic and evidence-based design. Evidence suggests people feel a sense of well-being when exposed to wood in a building, and many designers cite the warm and natural attributes of wood as a reason for its use.

Want to know why we feel good with wood? Read this white paper.

CLT Passive House Demonstration Project interior
CLT Passive House Demonstration Project
Placetailor
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Bring the outside inside with these biophilic design tips.

TRANSFORMING WHERE WE LIVE AND WORK
Bark tothe future.

Population growth, environmental changes and urban expansion are putting pressure on our cities and our planet’s resources. Wood is a smart choice for cities and our future. Whether solving for urban density, sustainability, or climate resilience, wood construction can help solve the issues our cities face today and in the decades to come.

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