Signal 1: Mass Timber
A team from MIT’s architecture school recently designed a building for public, communal use made from “mass timber.” Most large-scale, commercial and public buildings in the US are constructed using concrete and steel. But MIT’s design demonstrates that mass timber (conventional lumber laminated together into a sort of supersized plywood) can be used to construct large buildings.
MIT’s design is not the only one of its kind. There are already a number of mass timber buildings that have been constructed (primarily in countries outside the US). But projects like this could help the US open up to more mass timber construction. Environmentally-minded citizens should support efforts to promote the use of mass timber since the production of concrete releases large amounts of greenhouse gases while lumber stores carbon from the air before it is cut and formed into mass timber.
Mass timber also provides architects and designers with new creative opportunities. As American cities continue to grow and accommodate more residents, architectural diversity will allow cities to distinguish themselves with infrastructure that is more aesthetically engaging and enjoyable (think a mix of buildings made of mass timber and other alternative materials rather than a sea of steel and concrete).

