Mass Timber’s Edge: Smaller Crews, Quicker Builds, New Floors Above - CleanTechnica

The article highlights the growing advantages of mass timber construction beyond its well-known environmental benefits, emphasizing its significant time and labor efficiencies. Mass timber projects consistently demonstrate faster build times and require smaller, more specialized crews compared to traditional concrete construction. For example, the nine-story Stadthaus building in London was erected by just four carpenters in 27 working days, whereas a comparable concrete frame would take five to six months with much larger crews. Similarly, Vancouver’s 18-story Brock Commons timber tower was completed in 66 days by nine installers, while a concrete equivalent would need six to eight months and 40 to 60 workers. Other projects like Minneapolis’s T3 office and Melbourne’s Forté building reinforce these findings, showing that mass timber can halve construction schedules and reduce onsite labor by 60 to 70 percent. This shift in construction methodology also changes workforce demands, concentrating labor into fewer, higher-skilled roles such as CNC operators, timber framers, and 3D modelers who work