California Mass Timber Building Competition

The California Mass Timber Building Competition will begin accepting submissions on January 15, the California Government Operations Agency (GovOps) announced today.  The competition, hosted by GovOps and administered by WoodWorks – Wood Products Council, will award a total of $500,000 in grants to be distributed between two or more project teams that present viable and repeatable mass timber solutions for commercial or multi-family projects in California. The grants will fund activities that include cost studies, permitting fees, and information exchange sessions with code officials. The deadline for submissions is March 18, 2019. 

Mass timber, commonly used for construction in Europe, has seen a dramatic increase in use in North America over the past decade. As a construction material, mass timber is favored by designers for its strength, aesthetics, construction efficiency, reduced carbon footprint, and ability to work alongside other materials as a structural element.  

Increased use of mass timber will benefit forest health and rural economic development, while reducing carbon emissions related to construction in California.  The competition will result in demonstration projects that encourage wider adoption of mass timber construction in California.

Submissions will be accepted until March 18, 2019 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time. Winners are expected to be announced in late May.

Eligible proponents will be real estate developers, institutions, and other corporations or legal organizations and their design and construction team partners. Projects must be located in California.

Eligible mass timber materials include cross-laminated timber (CLT), nail-laminated timber (NLT), glued-laminated timber (GLT), dowel-laminated timber (DLT), mass plywood panels (MPP), and other mass timberproducts as approved. Mixed material (hybrid) solutions that include mass timber components along with other structural materials are also eligible. 

More details about the competition are available in the Competition Guidelines, or at https://www.govops.ca.gov/2019-california-mass-timber-building-competition.