Engaging Mass Timber Manufacturers Early Through Design Assist to Secure Cost Certainty and Improve Constructability

Discover how strategic supplier selection can elevate mass timber design. Join us as we explore the critical process of selecting a design-assist mass timber supplier during the design development phase of a landmark corporate headquarters project. This presentation reveals how thoughtful collaboration and smart criteria can unlock clean design, sustainability, resilience, and cost-efficiency—delivering not just a building, but a bold statement of innovation and environmental leadership.

Mark Rothman

Enterprise Director of Design and Sustainability
Hensel Phelps

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Design Assist as a Guardrail: Engineering & Cost Alignment That Protects Timber Projects

This panel segment explores how early alignment between structural engineering and cost validation can act as a guardrail for mass timber projects. Drawing on real project experience, the speakers will discuss why many timber projects experience cost drift and late redesign—not due to poor design, but because critical engineering and pricing feedback arrives too late to influence decisions. Through a focused case study, the discussion will highlight how early, coordinated input helps stabilize budgets, preserve design intent, and reduce downstream risk, without blurring roles or shifting responsibility among the design team.

Mason Brandt

President - Principal Engineer
WoodCore Engineering LLC

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Bob Dressler

Chief Estimator
Quality Buildings

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Session CEUs

Course Description

Strategic supplier selection is a critical step in realizing the full potential of mass timber construction. This course explores the importance of choosing a design-assist mass timber supplier during the design development phase, using the delivery of a landmark corporate headquarters as a case study. Participants will learn how early collaboration and well-defined selection criteria help align architectural vision with constructible solutions while supporting clean design, sustainability, resilience, and cost-efficiency. The session demonstrates how intentional partnerships can reduce project risk, enhance performance, and deliver innovative mass timber structures that reflect environmental leadership.

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the role of strategic design-assist mass timber supplier selection during design development in supporting successful project outcomes.
2. Identify key selection criteria that contribute to clean design integration, constructability, and efficient mass timber project delivery.
3. Evaluate how early collaboration with an experienced timber supplier can improve sustainability, resilience, cost control, and risk reduction.
4. Assess how intentional supplier partnerships help deliver innovative mass timber buildings that demonstrate high-performance design and environmental leadership.