At UMC, Inc., we take pride in leading multi-family turnkey plumbing and HVAC services across the Intermountain West. But being an industry leader means more than just providing top-notch services; it also means staying ahead of current market trends and technological advancements. Today, we’re excited to introduce you to a groundbreaking material poised to revolutionize the multi-family construction industry: mass timber.
What is mass timber?
Mass timber is an engineered wood that’s extremely strong but flexible and light. There are several different types of mass timber, including:
- Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT): CLT panels are made by gluing together layers of wood board to create solid panels for floors, walls, and roofs.
- Glue-Laminated Timber (Glulam): Glulam consists of layers of wood glued together to form structural beams and columns. These beams and columns are very strong but flexible.
- Nail-Laminated Timber (NLT): NLT is created by stacking and nailing layers of lumber together. It is often used for floor decks and roof panels.
- Mass Plywood Panels (MPP): MPPs are similar to CLT timber but use plywood layers arranged in a cross-laminated pattern.
- Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL): LVL is made from thin layers of wood veneers glued together to create solid, uniform beams and columns.
Each type of mass timber has different uses in building projects. However, one of the cool things about mass timber is how it can be used to make prefabricated wood components for roofs, load-bearing walls, beams, and columns. With this option, builders could have pre-assembled portions of a project delivered on-site for installation instead of building them from the ground up. This innovation could potentially speed up the project development times and reduce overall costs for developers.
What are the benefits of using mass timber in multi-family buildings?
Mass timber has several benefits for multi-family developments that could speed up the building process and lower the cost of these large projects. Some of these benefits include:
- Sustainability: Mass timber is a renewable resource that can be sourced sustainably. It has a lower carbon footprint than traditional building materials like steel and concrete.
- Strength and Durability: Despite being lightweight, mass timber is strong and stable, so it’s ideal for construction.
- Fire Resistance: Mass timber is fire-resistant because it doesn’t char on the outside, which helps the timber maintain structural integrity.
Staying Ahead of the Curve
At UMC, Inc., we are committed to staying at the forefront of multi-family construction trends. While our specialty is plumbing and HVAC, we’re committed to learning more about our industry. By understanding new materials and how they are integrated into the building process, we can be prepared to collaborate with other contractor partners on our multi-family building job sites. We’re excited about the potential of mass timber and look forward to seeing how it will shape the future of multi-family development.
