Mass Timber group study will compare structural round timber to glulam products and steel

Original Mass Timber Maine (OMT Maine) hired the University of Maine to include Maine-sourced Structural Round Timber (SRT) in a research project that will compare the structural building material to glulam and steel products.

The study is designed to understand and compare the costs, capabilities, and carbon impacts of structural materials that could be used to build a hypothetical instructional and research facility. The study’s initial intent was to assess the impacts on budget and carbon footprint of replacing steel and concrete with glulam and cross-laminated timber in the building’s structural system.

The study will now also include the use of Maine-sourced SRT as a mass timber option for comparison. OMT Maine expects results from the cost and feasibility study later this year, with the Life Cycle Assessment Report to be released in early 2022.

SRT can be used for trusses, columns, and beams in building projects of all types, OMT Maine says.