Mass Timber
We Make Mass Timber Possible.
Mass timber opens up new possibilities for performance, sustainability, and architectural expression - especially when teams are aligned early around mass timber feasibility and structural strategy.
BPA works in close partnership with owners, architects, and builders to understand each project’s strategic drivers and carry that intent from pre-design feasibility through mass timber structural engineering and delivery, helping ambitious ideas move confidently into reality.
Advantages of
Mass Timber
When evaluated early through mass timber feasibility studies and applied thoughtfully, mass timber offers meaningful advantages across performance, schedule, and sustainability:
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Faster, more predictable construction through prefabrication structural systems and Design for Manufacture and Assembly
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Embodied carbon reduction supported by Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) compared to conventional structural systems
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Lighter structural systems, enabling foundation and height efficiencies and supporting hybrid timber-steel structural systems
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High-quality, biophilic interior environments with exposed structure
From Timber Vision to Built Reality
BPA brings national mass timber experience and integrated engineering insight to projects early where structure, building systems, and delivery strategy meaningfully shape outcomes and carries that insight through the life of the project.
Having worked on 100+ mass timber projects across North America, with 60+ delivered into construction and another 20+ currently in design, we understand how early decisions ripple through design, fabrication, construction and mass timber delivery strategy.
Our advantage is deep, integrated connection across the mass timber supply chain. We work closely with architects, builders, fabricators, and trade partners to help teams clarify their vision early — then carry that intent consistently through feasibility, structural engineering, supply chain strategy and delivery. By aligning systems, pricing, code pathways, and lifecycle assessment (LCA), we help resolve the barriers that matter most - cost, code, and carbon.
The result is mass timber solutions that move confidently from vision to reality – buildable, scalable and resilient in practice.
Our Mass Timber Capabilities
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Early-stage engineering advisory and stakeholder alignment
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Mass timber feasibility studies
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Mass timber cost modeling and conceptual phase pricing
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Structural system strategy and optimization (including hybrid timber-steel structural systems)
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Detailed mass timber structural engineering, CLT connection design, and shop drawings
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Design assistance services
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Lifecycle assessment (LCA) and carbon decision support
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Mass timber supply-chain coordination, procurement strategy, and prefabrication planning
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Mass timber erection engineering, temporary shoring & bracing
Solving the Biggest Challenges in
Mass Timber Projects
Vision, Clarity, and Integration
Early Decision Clarity and Project Success Criteria
The biggest risk in mass timber projects is often a lack of early clarity about what the project is truly trying to achieve - schedule certainty, cost control, embodied carbon performance, occupant experience, long-term operational performance or a deliberate balance across these priorities. BPA works in close partnership with owners, architects, builders, and fabricators to establish project success criteria early, integrating that clarity across structure, building systems, and supply chain strategy, ensuring it is carried consistently from pre-design feasibility through structural engineering and delivery.
Cost
Mass Timber Cost Modeling and Procurement Strategy
Cost risk in mass timber projects is rarely about the material alone. It is typically driven by early assumptions, CLT system selection, panelization strategy, sequencing, and misalignment between design intent and fabrication realities.
BPA addresses cost proactively through mass timber feasibility analysis, cost modeling, and supply chain coordination — helping teams understand true cost drivers and make informed tradeoffs before pricing solidifies.
Navigating Uncertainty
Tall Wood Code Pathways, Carbon, and Risk
Mass timber projects often involve overlapping uncertainties including structural and fire code requirements, tall wood height and area limits, encapsulation strategy, local amendments, embodied carbon targets, and first-of-type delivery risk.
BPA helps teams navigate these uncertainties holistically. We bring experience with mass timber–specific code pathways, support clear technical conversations with Authorities Having Jurisdiction, and incorporate embodied carbon lifecycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate carbon tradeoffs early, reducing approval risk and avoiding late-stage redesign.
Successful Mass Timber Projects
Gold Oaks
Residence Hall
Western Michigan University
Speed
Challenge
Deliver a large-scale mass timber student housing project on an aggressive schedule while maintaining cost control and coordinating across a complex mass timber supply chain and prefabrication strategy.
BPA Role
Provided structural engineering, mechanical coordination support, and architectural detailing, working closely with the architect, builder, and fabricator to refine panelization, sequencing, and pricing strategies early.
Outcome
275,000 SF · 1,017 beds. Mass timber structure completed in 4.5 months. Average installation rate of 17,000 SF of panels per week. Delivered ahead of schedule and under budget.
Project Partners
The Christman Company · Hanbury · Mercer Mass Timber
Andy Quattlebaum Outdoor Education Center
Clemson University
Alignment
Challenge
The RFP identified mass timber as a defining aspiration for the project. As cost pressures emerged, the team gravitated toward a more conventional approach — treating mass timber as an accent while relying on steel for the primary structure.
BPA Role
BPA helped re-center the team on the original vision and evaluated structural pathways through mass timber feasibility and cost modeling. Drawing on deep relationships across the delivery team, BPA demonstrated that a fully mass timber solution could align with both the project’s intent and cost constraints.
Outcome
Mass timber was adopted as the primary structural system, delivering a building that honored the project vision while remaining economical and feasible to construct.
Project Partners
Cooper Carry · Minimal Impact · SmartLam
Brookhaven
City Centre
Atlanta, GA
Complexity
Challenge
Deliver one of the Southeast’s first mass timber municipal buildings while balancing public-sector performance requirements, structural complexity, and sustainability goals.
BPA Role
Provided structural engineering and mass timber feasibility insight, integrating timber framing with adjacent systems and coordinating closely with the broader design and construction team from early feasibility through execution.
Outcome
Successful delivery of a landmark civic mass timber project, advancing regional confidence in mass timber construction.
Project Partners
Sizemore Group · McCarthy Building Companies · Barnsley Construction · Binderholz
More Mass Timber Projects By BPA
For additional mass timber projects led by our team, visit our profile on the WoodWorks Innovation Network.
Explore What's Possible with Mass Timber
With a strong presence in the Southeast but the ability to work in 50 states, Britt, Peters and Associates is available nationwide. Contact one of our offices to discuss your next project.
Professional Structural & Civil Engineers
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