Key Takeaways
- Real estate developers can cut carbon emissions by choosing mass timber over steel or concrete.
- Mass timber describes a process of bonding individual pieces of wood into much
larger, stronger, and precisely sized building components. - Japan already has proof points, including Yokohama’s Port Plus and Sapporo’s Air Water Innovation Hub.
The United Nations projects that two-thirds of global population growth between now and 2050 will occur in cities, and much of the commercial real estate development needed to accommodate that growth is not yet standing. That makes the design and construction material choices being made by real estate developers increasingly consequential, given that the built environment is a significant source of carbon dioxide emissions. Few of those choices are currently drawing more attention than mass timber construction.
In addition to being a more sustainable alternative to other methods of construction, mass timber offers a variety of health, well-being, and other biophilic benefits to tenants and residents. What's more, mass timber development projects can typically be completed faster than those using more conventional construction materials, even with smaller construction crews, less traffic disruption, and an overall quieter job site. The advantages of mass timber are both plentiful and multifaceted.
What Exactly is Mass Timber?
Mass timber refers to a category of structural framing styles that is characterized by the use of engineered wood columns, beams, and panels. In this case, “engineered” means these building components are prefabricated in specialized factories and then delivered to construction sites for assembly. The process of prefabrication entails a variety of techniques that layer and bond individual pieces of wood into much larger, stronger, and precisely sized components, ones that can carry as much structural load as steel or concrete. Columns and beams are often made of glued-laminated timber, which is also referred to as glulam. Panels, often made from cross-laminated timber, are most frequently used in horizontal applications for floors and roofs, but they can also be used vertically for walls.
Mass Timber Buildings in Japan
One of the most striking examples of mass timber construction in Japan is Port Plus, an eleven-story office building in Yokohama. At completion in 2022, with a height of 145 feet, it became the tallest mass timber building in Japan. Closer to home, Air Water Innovation Hub in Sapporo was completed in 2024. It's a four-story mixed-use building that is a hybrid of mass timber and steel construction. In addition to carrying the building's seismic bracing, the mass timber used in its construction was noteworthy due to its origin. Branded as Moen-Wood, it's a fire-resistant glulam made from larch that is grown entirely in Hokkaido.
These are just two of numerous examples. The number of mass timber projects moving from proposal to completion in Japan has grown steadily over the past several years, and that trajectory shows no sign of leveling off. As prefabrication techniques and structural engineering continue to advance, mass timber is becoming a viable choice for an ever-wider range of building types and heights. That progress, paired with growing recognition among developers and the city planning and zoning departments that govern them, suggests the environmental and sustainability case for mass timber will only keep building over time.
Leading the Way
In meeting the global need to expand our cities, commercial real estate developers have an opportunity to implement meaningful changes in the built environment. The widespread adoption of mass timber in development projects is one such way of doing so. Given the growing challenges of climate change and population density, mass timber stands out as a uniquely suitable building material. Its use reduces embodied carbon in commercial buildings, improves the well-being of tenants, and does both without sacrificing returns for developers and investors.
