More and More Commercial Real Estate Developers and Builders are Turning to Wood

Commercial real estate (CRE) developers and their construction industry partners are constantly on the lookout for new and innovative materials to build with, and many CRE developers have found it . . . Wood. While steel and concrete remain ‘classic’, building built with wood have key benefits such as sustainability, affordability and flexibility that those ‘classic’ building products just cannot match. Mass timber has been around the CRE markets for over a decade, but their popularity and acceptance has really taken off as of late. In building, mass timber refers to wood panels that are cross-laminated for greater strength and flexibility. This durable material is manufactured into columns, panels, and beams. To meet that need there are currently 10 mass timber plants in the U.S., and more are in the plans. It is estimated that by the year 2024, there will be more than 24,000 mass timber building in the U.S.