Mass Timber at the 2025 CEDAM Community Champions Summit
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EmailDirector Sandra Lupien attended the 2025 Community Champions Summit, moderating a mass timber panel presentation.
MassTimber@MSU attended the 2025 Community Champions Summit, and mass timber was on the agenda. Our Director, Sandra, enjoyed moderating the panel, titled "Mass Timber: Quality Buildings, Quality Communities," which featured Gregory Monberg of Wightman, Erik Knauss of INFORM Studio, and Anthony Askew of City On The Rise.
Presentation Description:
Demand for mass timber – a family of high-performance engineered wood construction materials - is growing rapidly across the U.S. and in Michigan – including in community-driven development projects. Made from a renewable, carbon-storing material – wood – and delivered as a prefabricated kit-of-parts, mass timber’s gaining market share due to its sustainability, structural, and efficiency benefits – not to mention its undeniable aesthetic appeal. In addition to choosing mass timber for their buildings, some developers are engaging in the mass timber supply chain, exploring ways to integrate regionally sourced wood into their projects and, in some cases, increase regional production of mass timber to both improve access to materials and benefit local communities. This panel discussion will bring together developers leading the way in community-based mass timber projects, including affordable housing, community centers, and business hubs. Panelists will share their experiences, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges of using mass timber to create high-quality, resilient communities. Attendees will gain insight into how mass timber enhances project sustainability and efficiency, and how to incorporate it into accessible and affordable developments. By the end of the session, participants will have a deeper understanding of mass timber’s potential as a catalyst for sustainable, community-centered development and leave equipped with practical insights and resources to help them incorporate this material into their own community projects.
