Cross-Laminated Timber

and Engineered Woods

WHITE PAPER | FEBRUARY 2022
PREPARED BY HATFIELD GROUP
 Table of Contents

Introduction XX

CLT and Engineered Woods XX

Types and Applications XX

Sustainable Structures XX

Advantages of Engineered Wood XX

Challenges and Solutions XX

Case Study: Memphis Brooks Museum of Art XX

About Hatfield Group XX

Opposite:
Covers:
Mjøstårnet, Brumunddal, Norway. Voll Arkitekter, 2019. Photograph © Moelven.
Barrett’s Grove, London, UK. Amin Taha Architects, 2016. Photograph © Amin Taha Architects.

Hatfield Group | 3
 BUILDING TALL IN A WARMING WORLD

420 PPM

1901–1931
In a span of 30 years, the Metropolitan Life Tower,
400 PPM Woolworth Building, Chrysler Building, 40 Wall Street,
and Empire State Building are completed in New York
City. Each was the tallest building in the world at the
time of completion.

380 PPM 1871

2021
The Great Fire of Chicago destroys 17,000 structures and
New York City approves
takes over 300 lives. One of mamy 19th-century urban fires 1890 mass timber for buildings
in America, cities across the country limit the height of At 309 feet, The World up to 18 stories. Previously,
wood structures, sometimes to as low as 5 floors. Building become the tallest
360 PPM wood-frame construction
building New York, taking was restricted to 85
the title from Trinity Church feet—a relic of codes
1856
with its 279 foot spire. passed before the advent
Henry Bessemer files patent for a process to mass produce 2019
steel. The technology revolutionizes architecture, making Mjøstårnet, the tallest of CLT.
340 PPM ca. 1760
The Industrial Revolution begins in England. The steam cast iron obsolete and ushering in the age of the modern timber building in the
engine becomes widely used commercially, textile skyscrapers with steel or reinforced concrete structures. But, world, is completed
production becomes mechanzied, and new technologies both steel and concrete production requires massive amounts by Voll Arkitekter in
make it possible to mass produce pig and cast iron. of energy, and atmospheric CO2 levels begin a steady climb. Brumunddal, Norway.
320 PPM

2015–2018
In 2015, researchers find the collapse of the West
Antarctic ice sheet may be irreversible. The Paris
300 PPM Agreement is signed later that year. In 2018, the
fourth IPCC report warns that to avoid catastrophe,
Atmospheric CO2 in parts per million (PPM) the world’s greenhouse gas emissions must be in
sharp decline by 2030.
280 PPM

Atmospheric carbon dioxide data

1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 soourced from www.co2levels.org

1781 1851
The Iron Bridge, the world's first large-scale Crystal Palace is completed for the
building project that uses cast iron as a structural Great Exhibition in London. The cast-
material, opens in Shropshire, England. iron and glass building is a testament
to the technological advances of the
Industrial Revolution.
often considered the first
1968–1975
The population of Dubai
grows by over 300% in
1885 1896 just seven years, starting a ca. 1994
William Le Baron Jenney "It must be tall, every inch of it wave of development that Cross-Laminated Timber—a sustainable, fire-
completes the steel- tall," proclaims Louis Sullivan continues today. resistant alternative to steel and concrete—is
framed Home Insurance in 'The Tall Office Building 1990 developed in Germany and Austria. In 1994,
Building in Chicago. The Artistically Considered,' his The Intergovernmental Panel Gerhard Schickhofer presents a PhD thesis on
10-story structure is manifesto of skyscraper design on Climate Change publishes the material at the University of Graz. He later
for Lippincott Magazine. its first report, warning that contributes to the first national guidelines on
skyscraper. the world has been warming CLT, published by Austria in 2002.
because of human activities.

The Only Way

When Henry Bessemer filed patent for his process to mass- know today. Take New York: In 1889, the city's tallest building of global carbon emissions annually, it is clear that 21st-century
produce steel in 1856, the amount of carbon dioxide in the was Trinity Church with its 209-foot spire. Forty years later, it cities will need to be built in a radically more sustainable way
atmosphere was roughly the same as when Iktinos and would boast the Metropolitan Life Tower, Woolworth Building, than before.

Out is Through. Callicrates lay the first stones of the Parthenon in the 5th
century BC. Just over a century after Bessemer's patent,
atmospheric CO2 levels would reach heights unseen for 4 million
40 Wall Street, Chrysler Building, and the Empire State Building,
each the tallest in the world at the time of its construction. Cross-laminated timber is an opportunity to do just that. First
developed in 1994, the fire-resistant material can be used in

Mass Timber and years. Around the world, cities of steel and concrete were rising,
industry was churning, and greenhouse gas was pumping into
Sustainable Density the atmosphere. In 2018—162 years after Bessemer's patent—
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its fourth
report, warning that a dramatic reduction in atmospheric CO2
was necessary by 2030 to avert global catastrophe.
The advent of mass-produced steel was one of several advances
that paved the way for global industrialization and urbanization.
In a matter of decades, five-story cities in wood, brick, and stone
were transformed into the dense and towering megalopoli we
White Paper—Cross-Laminated Timber
Urbanization came at a tremendous cost to the environment—
and it is not over yet. More than two-thirds of the world's
population will live in cities by 2050, according to the UN.
Existing cities are growing and new ones are going up around
the world in places like sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Asia,
Western Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
That in itself does not spell disaster. Density is sustainable: the
average carbon footprint of an urban household is 50% below
the global average. But, when two of the building blocks of
today's cities—steel and concrete—are each responsible for 8%
place of concrete and steel in many applications and is strong
enough to build tall. The material is renewable, and wood from
sustainably managed forests is carbon-neutral.
But when and how can CLT be used? How much carbon
emissions can CLT save? And what are the design considerations
associated with building in CLT? This white paper delves into
these topics, exploring how CLT can open new architectural
possibilities and usher in a greener urban future.
More cities are coming. It is us to up to build them sustainably.
Hatfield Group | 5
CLT and Engineered Wood
Engineered wood, also known as mass timber, is made by
compressing multiple layers of composite wood material.
Engineered wood products like glued laminated timber
(gluelam), laminated veneer lumber (LVL), and cross-
laminated timber (CLT) have become increasingly popular
structural materials. They are carbon-negative, versatile,
and—pound-for-pound—stronger than either concrete or
steel. Glulam and LVL in particular have a history of being
used as structural members in architecturally distinguished
projects, like Jurgen Meyer H.'s Metropol Parasol in Seville.

Now, CLT is gaining recognition as a viable alternative for

concrete floors, roofs, and walls in mid-rise and high-rise
buildings. Combined with glulam and other mass timber
products, this makes it feasible to design and build towers
with fully timber structures—a sustainable way of building
dense that avoids the tremendous carbon costs associated
with steel and concrete.

The following document, prepared by Hatfield Group,

introduces CLT and mass timber more generally as advanced
building materials that can usher in a sustainable urban
future. In addition to original research on the embodied
carbon savings of timber in high-rise buildings, we explore
popular types of mass timber and their applications, the
architectural possibilities they open, and the benefits and
challenges of building in mass timber.
© Ema Peter, via Michael Green Architecture (Wood Innovation Design Center)

White Paper—Cross-Laminated Timber and Engineered Woods Hatfield Group | 7

Types and Applications
Below, a run-down of the most common types of engineered woods and their applicaitons. Most simply:
CLT is generally used for floors, walls, and roofs; the other types are used for beams, columns, headers,
and rafters. Gluelam is unique for its ability to be formed into complex curving members and arches. That
said, each type of engineered wood has its own characterstics, explored more fully in the chart below.

CROSS-LAMINATED TIMBER (CLT)
Layers are cross-laminated perpendicularly
Description with each other into large format panels. Similar
capabilities to precast concrete, but far lighter.
GLUE LAMINATED TIMBER (GLULAM)
Several pieces of lamstock are glues together
lengthwise. Can be manufactured as straight or
curving members. Lighter than steel and almost
as strong. Beams can span up to 100 feet.
PARALLEL STRAND LUMBER (PSL)
Long thin strips of wood are aligned and
pressed. Beams can span up to 66 feet.
LAMINATED VENEER LUMBER (LVL)
Thin wood veneers are bound together, each
layer of grain running parallel. Beams can span
up to 60 feet.
LAMINATED STRAND LUMBER (LSL)
Flaked wood strands are aligned and formed into
large-scale billets, from which beams are ripped.
Beams can span up to 20 feet. LSL billets can
be machined into prefabricated longer span
components like roof trusses.

Spanning
Two directions One direction One direction One direction One direction
Direction

Short beams, wall studs, millwork, and window

Typical Beams, columns, and striking curving elements Beams, headers, columns, and supports for
Floors, walls, roofs, and stairs Beams, rafters, headers, and columns framing. Billets can also be machined into
Application like vaulted roofs and complex arches smaller beams of LVL
prefabricated structural elements

Fire Resistant? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Weather
No Yes Sometimes No No
Resistant?

© Tolko, via tolko.com

© Nikkol Rot, via Jurgen Meyer H. Architects
© Jeff Heatley Photography, via Stott Architecture
© Didier Boy De La Tour via Shigeru Ban Architects
© Ema Peter, via Michael Green Architecture
Photographs, left to right:
Visual Appeal Good for visible applications. Good for visible applications. Sometimes used for visible applications. Sometimes used for visible applications. Not typically used for visible applications

Penetration Good, but best if penetrations are included in Allows for larger penetrations than other mass
Limited Limited Limited
Capacity the design of CLT panels themselves. timber beams

Comparitive
$$ $$ $$$ $$$ $
Cost

White Paper—Cross-Laminated Timber Hatfield Group | 9

Sustainable Structures:
Embodied Carbon in Timber, Steel, and Concrete Systems

Concrete (20 levels) Total GWP savings Steel (20 levels) Total GWP savings Timber (20 levels) Total GWP savings

Comparison of GWP savings between concrete, steel, and timber structural designs for a hypothetical 40-story tower

LOW GWP SAVINGS HIGH GWP SAVINGS

EC3 Study: Purpose and Methodology Using EC3, we compared the embodied energy efficiency Conclusions
How sustainable is mass timber? To find out, Hatfield Group of steel, and concrete, and timber structural systems for a
max/conservative
1. A mass-timber building has much significantly higher GWP savings max/conservative
[10.7 kgCO2e]
[10.7 kgCO2e]

conducted a study using EC3, a free tool that takes building data hypothetical 20-story tower, measuring it in GWP savings (79% for columns and slabs) than a steel-framed one with concrete 21%
21%

slabs (60% for columns, 34% for slabs), which in turn has significantly
min/achievable
from BIM and calculates the embodied carbon footprint of a (Greenhouse Warming Potential). We also analyzed how various min/achievable
[2.22 kgCO2e]
[2.22 kgCO2e]
floor slabs are
floor slabs are

design. column grids affect the amount of materials required. Further, higher GWP savings than a concrete building (34% for columns and 76%
76%
of total building EC
of total building EC

we tested 7 typed of concrete to determine how sourcing the slabs). S

S
79%
79%

Embodied carbon (EC) is the energy cost associated with
manufacturing, transporting, and installing a building material.
Steel and concrete have high EC footprints. Each accounts
for up to 8% of the world's annual carbon emissions in large
part because of the energy-intensive processes required
to manufacture them. Mass timber, on the other hand, are
renewable materials that do not carry these high embodied
carbon costs. Wood from sustainably managed forests is
carbon-neutral according to most life-cycle analyses.
same material from different plants impacts the building’s
overall embodied carbon footprint.
To do so, we first modelled the building in Rhino and engineered
feasible steel, concrete, and timber structural systems for it.
These three options were then imported into EC3, which takes
materials quantity data from the model and matches it with
the materials’ respective embodied energies to calculate the
building's overall embodied carbon footprint.
2. Slabs contribute the most volume and therefore carbon of any other
structural components (ie: columns, walls, and beams). They account
for 76% of the studied building's total EC.
3. Moving columns farther apart adds a small amount of structure but it
gives much more future program flexibility, facilitating adaptive reuse.
This is a significant benefit for sustainability considering that the EPA
estimates a newly built energy efficient building will take 60 years to
save the amount of energy saved by an adaptive reuse project.
Analysis of GWP savings in the timber design
Another consideration: moving columns farther apart adds slab volume
and reduces column volume. Further research could explore what
effect these changes have on GWP savings by studying the impact of
net structural volume and slab volume in 20' column bays, 30' column
bays, and 40' column bays, etc.

4. The type of concrete used has a far more significant impact on GWP
than expected. Certain concrete can be have significantly higher
GWP savings compared to a less sustainable one. Even so, the more
sustainable concrete has less GWP savings than either steel or timber.

5. The taller the building the more volume of structural components

needed per square foot, so they are inherently less sustainable. Building
sustainable density does not necessarily mean building tall.

White Paper—Cross-Laminated Timber and Engineered Woods Hatfield Group | 11

Advantages of Engineered Wood
CLT offers several advantages over conventional building materials, in terms of
environmental sustainability, occupant benefits, and aesthetics.

Sustainability Engineered wood is a carbon-negative, renewable alternative to steel

and concrete—two materials that alone account for 18% of global carbon
emissions annually. CLT and other mass timbers require far less energy
to produce than either steel or concrete, produce less waste in the
manufacturing process, and are 100% biodegradable. Additionally, using FSC-
certified wood products helps toward achieving LEED certification for clients.

Aesthetics CLT and glulam open new architectural possibilities. Since it can be shaped
into curving members, glulam can be used for a range of dramatic vaulted
spaces and long spans. CLT floors and walls create a warm, inviting interior
spaces that can be especially suited to residential, commercial, office,
cultural, and academic spaces.

Lightweight Engineered wood is significantly lighter then either concrete or steel. This
reduces the overall weight of the structure, in turn allowing for a smaller—and
less expensive—foundation.

Interior of John W. Olver Design Building, UMass Amherst, Amherst, MA. Leers Weinzapfel Associates, 2017. Photograph © Leers Weinzapfel Associates.
Ease and Speed of Unlike regular timber or concrete, which are prepared on-site, mass timber
panels can be prefabricated and assembled with minimal delay. The faster
Construction
construction times and degree of off-site preparation reduce the cost of
construction and its impact on communities, like noise and dust.

Thermal Performance CLT has superior and thermal properties than concrete, reducing energy
operating costs and reducing a building's overall carbon footprint.

Fire Resistant Mass timber chars on the outside when exposed to fire, creating insulating
benefits that allow it to achieve a fire resistance rating (FRR). Given that the
rate of charring and insulation to the strong wood is predictable, mass timber
members can be designed to carry applied forces when exposed to fire.

White Paper—Cross-Laminated Timber and Engineered Woods

Challenges and Solutions
For all its benefits, building with engineered wood is not without its challenges.
Below, we outline some of the most common hurdles to using the material and
strategies for overcoming them.

Cost CHALLENGE  Mass timber is more expensive per unit than either steel or concrete, so
the material price of a mass timber structure will be greater than those alternatives.

SOLUTION   Mass timber presents significant savings in labor and foundation costs

that can offset the higher material price. Mass timber construction can be up to 25%
faster than construction in steel or concrete, and foundations can be up to 30% smaller.1
This makes it especially cost competitive in buildings over six stories high, according to a
study by the University of Minnesota.2

Code Restrictions CHALLENGE  Mass timber is not yet universally accepted throughout the United States
as a method of mid- and high-rise construction.

SOLUTION   The 2021 International Building Code is more permissive when it comes

to mass timber, and it is now being adopted by states. In 2021, New York City announced
that it would allow mass timber for buildings up to 85 feet. A map of institutions, schools,
and other organizations leading the way in mass timber construction in North America is
available via Architect's Newspaper.

Structural Coordination CHALLENGE  Unlike steel, with mass timber each supplier has their own proprietary
systems that have different load-bearing capacities.

SOLUTION   On mass timber projects, structural engineers must take a leading role in
collaborating with the architect to determine load requirements for each and coordinating
with suppliers to order systems that meet them. The additional time this requires should
be factored into the design phase.

Brentwood Public Library, Brentwood, CA. FOG Studio & Mark Davis Design, 2018. Photograph © Holmes Structures.
MEP Coordination CHALLENGE  On mass timber projects—especially those using CLT—all panels are pre-
fabricated off-site to exact specifications, meaning that all MEP penetrations need to be
coordinated and modeled before the panels are ordered.

SOLUTION   Bake in additional time in the design phase for full MEP coordination, and
ensure all subconsultants are fluent in BIM.

Material Availability CHALLENGE  Mass timber is still a growing industry, so engineered wood products are
not as widely available in certain regions of the United States as concrete or steel.

SOLUTION   Mass timber is widely availale in the Pacific Northwest and increasingly

the Northeast. A map of US manufacturers is is available via Architect's Newspaper.

Long-term Flexibility CHALLENGE  Because CLT and Glulam structures are bigger than steel and concrete
ones, mass timber buildings can be more difficult to adapt to new use in the future.

SOLUTION   Incorporate longer column spans as a priority in mass timber buildings to

ensure that the building is flexible enough to be sustainably reused.

White Paper—Cross-Laminated Timber and Engineered Woods

Case Study:
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Hatfield Group is working with Herzog & de Meuron and Location
Memphis, TN
archimania on a signature new museum in Memphis that Completion
uses a mass timber superstructure. 2026

Size
115,000 SF
Perched on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, the building will be a premier Architect
cultural destination in Memphis and the new home for the Brooks Museum of Art, Herzog & de Meuron and archimania

the oldest and largest art museum in the city. Hatfield Group is designing a CLT
superstructure solution that will lower the building's carbon footprint and help it
withstand the area's seismic activity.

The museum is a keystone of the plan to connect six miles of the riverfront with
parks, walking paths, civic, and recreational structures, an initiative developed
by the Mayor’s Riverfront Task Force and the Memphis River Parks Partnership.
The building will host galleries, classrooms, and a 175-seat glass-box theater that
overlooks a courtyard.

White Paper—Cross-Laminated Timber Hatfield Group | 17

 About Hatfield Group

Hatfield Group is a New York-based, globally-minded team of designers,

engineers, and thinkers dedicated to bringing architectural thinking
to the field of engineering. Founded by engineer Erleen Hatfield and
architect Martin Finio, we think and work like architects to better engineer
distinctive and enduring buildings.

Where other engineers see risks, we see opportunities to innovate. We

partner with our clients from concept through delivery, treating inventive
engineering as an integral part of design. We make the architect’s
priorities and working methods our own, approaching engineering an
iterative, creative process to realize complex buildings with a meticulous
attention to aesthetic intent.

285 W Broadway, Suite 410

New York, NY 10013
+1-212-260-1513
info@HatfieldGrp.com
HatfieldGrp.com

White Paper—Cross-Laminated Timber and Engineered Woods Hatfield Group | 19