
Agenda
Calling all innovators, disruptors, and forward-thinkers…
We believe that a greater use of cross-laminated timber and other mass timber products in mid- to high-rise building construction is the innovative, disruptive, modern, and sustainable choice necessary for building in a fast-growing world.
And we believe in giving our conference attendees the highest quality experience for your event dollar — a relentless pursuit of value so you can learn more, connect better, build smarter, and take your business to the next level while helping make the world a better place.

All activities take place at the Oregon Convention Center
777 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd
Portland, OR 97232
Conference Event Tracks
Track 1: Reimagining Our Cities
Track 2: Project Delivery With Mass Timber: New Product, New Process
Track 3: Building Performance: Design & Implementation
Track 4: Overcoming Barriers & Growing The Market
Event Update
CALL FOR SPEAKERS
October 24 Update: Our Call for Speakers submission deadline has passed, but we continue to accept submissions until all speaker slots are filled. Our committee is currently reviewing abstracts and we expect to send out some approval notifications soon. Submit Now
Schedule
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Breakfast
Exhibit Hall ASponsored by Rubner Holzbau
The breakfast menu includes:
- Mushroom, tomato, spinach scramble
- Carmelized onion potatoes
- Country pork sausage links
- Crisp bacon
- Fresh sliced fruit in season
- Breakfast pastries
- Assorted juices
- Freshly brewed coffee and tea
Gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan alternatives will be available to those who select those options when registering for their pass(es).
General Session
Oregon Ballrooms 201–203Kickoff and Committee Welcome
Arnie Didier · COO · Forest Business Network
Keynote Presenters Announced Fall 2019
Housekeeping
Tom Waddell · VP Marketing & Sales · Forest Business Network
Networking Break with Refreshments
Exhibit Hall BSponsored by Sustainable Forestry Initiative
Build connections and relax. Enjoy:
- Portland Roasting regular and decaf coffee
- Hot organic Choice tea
Track Title TBD
A Meeting Rooms 105–106Moderator:
To be determined
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Track Title TBD
B Meeting Rooms 113–114Moderator:
To be determined
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Fire Safety in Mass Timber: Code Updates, Testing and Advanced Analysis Methods
B Meeting Rooms 115–116Moderator:
David Barber, Principal | Fire, ARUP
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Dispelling Myths and Misperceptions About Mass Timber
C Meeting Rooms 123–124Moderator:
Stephen J. Cavanaugh, AIA, LEED AP, Design Leader | Principal, DLR Group
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Lunch and Exhibitor Appreciation
Exhibit Hall BSponsored by Rothoblaas
The lunch menu includes an outstanding Italian buffet with:
- Salad of artichoke hearts, feta cheese, kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red and yellow bell peppers, pine nuts, curly endive, bibb lettuce, torn greens and xeres vinaigrette
- Orzo salad, roasted vegetables, balsamic onions, Briar Rose Creamery goat cheese
- Ricotta cheese tortellini, parmesan fondue, pine nuts
- Chicken saltimbocca, prosciutto, sage, pan juices
- Garlic breadsticks
- Tiramisu, cannoli
- Iced tea and lemonade
Gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan alternatives will be available to those who select those options when registering for their pass(es).
Track Title TBD
A Meeting Rooms 105–106Moderator:
To be determined
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Track Title TBD
B Meeting Rooms 113–114Moderator:
To be determined
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Going Tall with Timber: Project Examples & Design Solutions
B Meeting Rooms 115–116Moderator:
Ricky McLain, PE, SE, Senior Technical Director – Tall Wood, WoodWorks – Wood Products Council
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Track Title TBD
C Meeting Rooms 123–124Moderator:
To be determined
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Networking Break with Refreshments
Exhibit Hall BSponsored by Sustainable Forestry Initiative
Build connections and relax. Enjoy:
- Assorted cookies
- Portland Roasting regular and decaf coffee
- Hot organic Choice tea
Track Title TBD
A Meeting Rooms 105–106Moderator:
To be determined
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Preconstruction and Installation: Understanding Cost & Schedule Impacts
B Meeting Rooms 113–114Moderator:
Ralph Austin, President, Seagate Mass Timber
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Engineering the Hard Stuff: Floor Vibration, Connections and Lateral Design in Mass Timber
B Meeting Rooms 115–116Moderator:
Tanya Luthi, PE, Vice President – Structures, Entuitive
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Track Title TBD
C Meeting Rooms 123–124Moderator:
To be determined
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Happy Hour Reception
Exhibit Hall BSponsored by Hexion and Swinerton Mass Timber
Join us for happy hour and outstanding connection-building at the conclusion of the educational sessions.
Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and no-host bar.
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Breakfast
Exhibit Hall ASponsored by Rubner Holzbau
The breakfast menu includes:
- Vegetable frittata
- Country fried red potatoes
- Canadian bacon
- Chicken apple sausage
- Fresh sliced fruit in season
- Breakfast pastries
- Assorted juices
- Freshly brewed coffee and tea
Gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan alternatives will be available to those who select those options when registering for their pass(es).
General Session
Oregon Ballrooms 201–203Kickoff and Committee Welcome
Arnie Didier · COO · Forest Business Network
Keynote Presenters Announced Fall 2019
Housekeeping
Tom Waddell · VP Marketing & Sales · Forest Business Network
Networking Break with Refreshments
Exhibit Hall BSponsored by Sustainable Forestry Initiative
Build connections and relax. Enjoy:
- Portland Roasting regular and decaf coffee
- Hot organic Choice tea
Track Title TBD
A Meeting Rooms 105–106Moderator:
To be determined
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Track Title TBD
B Meeting Rooms 113–114Moderator:
Jeff McLellan, Western Region Practice Leader, BFL Canada
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Broadening the Mass Timber Umbrella: Leveraging Strengths of Different Materials in Hybrid Systems
B Meeting Rooms 115–116Moderator:
Karen Gesa, PE, Technical Director, WoodWorks – Wood Products Council
Pairing Mass Timber Floors with Light-Frame Wood Prefabricated Wall Systems: Tales of Challenges and Successes
— Mike Bradley, President, Beacon Builders
Due to differences, often significant differences, in the raw material costs of mass timber and light wood-frame construction, some project teams have had difficulty cost-effectively implementing mass timber in low- to mid-rise (one- to five-story) multi-family buildings. However, a few projects have utilized what is seemingly the best of both worlds—mass timber floor systems that provide inherent beauty, fire resistance and thin floor structures, paired with light wood-frame bearing walls that can be utilized to run MEP services while meeting code requirements for acoustics and fire resistance when clad with materials such as gypsum. Successfully utilizing a hybrid of wood-frame and mass timber systems requires an acute understanding of their differences, from fabrication tolerances to installation techniques, connection details, and more. This presentation by a contractor who has successfully completed several of these buildings will explore lessons learned, preconstruction coordination requirements, and types of projects that may be suitable for a hybrid approach.
Beacon Builders has completed the first two CLT buildings in Spokane County—an 8,000-sf CrossFit gym/warehouse and a 32,000-sf apartment complex. The company also used CLT to build a high-end luxury vacation home on the banks of the Pend Oreille River. Over the course of these projects, the team learned many hard lessons and developed a system to streamline the design, permitting, procurement, and construction of CLT projects.
Advancing Timber Design and Construction with Hybrid Structures
— Leif Johnson, P.E., S.E., LEED AP, Principal, Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Modern timber buildings typically include a combination of wood and other materials, with steel and concrete utilized where structurally efficient. A building that is primarily mass timber is more beneficial to the advancement of timber design and construction than a fully timber building that never gets built because cost premiums are too high for components better realized with steel or concrete. In this presentation, a long-span timber-steel hybrid truss structure for The Barn will be featured along with other hybrid structures to illustrate this point, showcasing the possibilities and benefits of timber construction, while using a variety of materials where they’re most efficient.
Leif Johnson is a Principal at Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA), an award-winning structural and civil engineering firm headquartered in Seattle, Washington. He recently completed T3 Minneapolis, a seven-story, 260,000-sf mass timber office building, and continues to provide quality control review for T3 projects across the country. His portfolio also includes the Lincoln Park Zoo south pond addition in Chicago, Illinois, and LeMay—America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington, both winners of national wood design awards. Leif is the leader of MKA’s in-house Wood Technical Specialist Team, a group devoted to the research and development of methodologies for utilizing the most effective, innovative wood products and connections available to better realize clients’ visions while also promoting materials that require less carbon to construct. He was honored as one of Building Design + Construction Magazine’s 40 Under 40 winners in 2018.
The Wade Avenue Experiment: A Hybrid Tall Wood of Timber, Concrete and Steel
— Jonathan King, OAA, LEED AP, Principal, bnkc architecture + urban design
With eight stories of mass timber, 77 Wade Avenue is set to change the landscape of Toronto’s Junction neighborhood, offering a purpose-designed and built office and collaborative environment, while transforming an under-used parcel of land into a tech-oriented hub with sustainable design at its core. Unlike 20th century post and beam buildings, 77 Wade optimizes the use of a mass timber/hybrid structural system by way of prefabricated components, just-in-time delivery and construction best practices to achieve spans of traditional concrete and steel buildings. This presentation will provide a summary of the project, which will showcase the inherent warmth of wood with a composite NLT, concrete and steel assembly. The summary will place the project in the context of past/present examples of mass timber and tall wood buildings, review its development, describe its unique approach and design strategy, and outline solutions related to approvals, logistics, and technical challenges. 77 Wade Avenue will be the first commercial project in Canada to be completed at this scale.
Jonathan King takes a broad and holistic approach to the practice of architecture and urban design. A Principal at bnkc architects, his skill set complements and enhances the firm’s 50-year practice. Clients in the institutional and multi-residential sectors value his ability to collaborate and integrate their needs to realize effective design solutions. He has excelled at integrating design, management, and delivery for such projects such as the Pan Am Athletes’ Village and Edmonton Clinic Health Academy at the University of Alberta, the Hudson Condominium, and 77 Wade Avenue, Canada’s largest tall wood commercial building. Jonathan is an active member of the Urban Land Institute, sitting on several Committees, and often speaks at trade, education and real estate conferences on the topics of mass timber, and purpose-built rental housing.
Track Title TBD
C Meeting Rooms 123–124Moderator:
To be determined
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Lunch and Exhibitor Appreciation
Exhibit Hall BSponsored by Rothoblaas
The lunch menu includes an awesome sandwich spread of:
- Smoked turkey breast, honey glazed ham, roast beef, Tillamook cheddar, swiss cheese, sliced tomatoes, green leaf lettuce, red onion, kosher pickle spears, pepperoncini, and traditional condiments
- Penne pasta salad, potato salad
- Sliced bread: sourdough, nine-grain, and white
- Fresh baked cookies and brownies
- Iced tea and lemonade
Gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan alternatives will be available to those who select those options when registering for their pass(es).
Track Title TBD
A Meeting Rooms 105–106Moderator:
To be determined
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Track Title TBD
B Meeting Rooms 113–114Moderator:
To be determined
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Building a Successful Mass Timber Project Team: Roles, Responsibilities and Putting the Pieces Together
B Meeting Rooms 115–116Moderator:
Heather Strong, PE, Senior Director, Western Division, WoodWorks – Wood Products Council
The Digital Twin Approach: Building Models and Data Transfer from Design to Execution for Mass Timber Buildings
— Ryan Yee, Strategic Partnerships Manager, CadMakers
This presentation will provide an in-depth review of the design for manufacturing and assembly approach to mass timber construction and the role of integrated building models (digital twins) in successful projects. As many teams have found, design and construction can be optimized by utilizing generative rules-based engineering design to automate the creation of fabrication models with embedded manufacturing requirements and specifications. This session will cover the digital twin process, including the use of 3D fabrication models and 4D process simulations, and discuss key items such as communication via building model, the role of the model on-site during construction, and the transfer of digital data to sub-trades for effective coordination and mass timber installation.
Ryan Yee is Strategic Partnerships Manager and an Automation Engineer at CadMakers. Currently he is responsible for developing new and emerging markets beginning with CadMakers’ office expansion in Tokyo, Japan. CadMakers is a construction and manufacturing technology company that has been involved in 25 mass timber projects to date, including Brock Commons Tallwood House, and has developed DFMA workflows for the construction and mass timber industry. Ryan was CadMakers’ MEPF lead managing the integrated 3D and 4D model on the Brock Commons project and is passionate about connecting the digital thread of early stage design through to fabrication and on-site construction. In addition to construction projects, he helped Tesla implement an advanced manufacturing and factory planning work flow as part of the Tesla Model 3 Launch team.
Whose Job is it Anyway? Defining Design Team Roles for Mass Timber Projects
— Amie Sullivan, Principal, KPFF Consulting Engineers
When delineating design roles for a mass timber project, the traditional silos of architect and engineer aren’t always so clearly defined. Since structure is often also finish, a higher level of coordination between all members of the design team is necessary, as is clear communication on who is specifying what. Add to that the complexity that can come in the form of specialized engineering roles, from Structural Engineer of Record to Specialty Timber Engineer, Timber Connections Engineer, Manufacturer’s Engineer, Foundation Engineer, and more, and the importance of scope definition becomes evident. This session will examine the topic of setting up a mass timber project for success by establishing roles and responsibilities, and sticking to them throughout the design and construction process. Examples of when using specialty engineers may or may not be an efficient approach will also be discussed.
Amie is a Principal with KPFF Consulting Engineers, bringing 20 years of structural engineering experience to the role. With projects ranging from office buildings and corporate headquarters to destination resorts and custom homes, her portfolio includes elegant structures that feature exposed wood framing and blended structural systems. Among the examples, her work on the Federal Center South Building 1202, with ZGF Architects, resulted in an extensive use of reclaimed, composite heavy timber framing, and the Brelsford Visitor Center at Washington State University features the first commercial use of CLT in Washington State. Both projects received NCSEA Excellence in Structural Engineering awards.
Mass Timber Construction Planning: Collaboration between the Contractor, Design Team & Manufacturer
— Ankit Sanghvi, DBIA, LEED-AP, PCL Construction Services, Inc.
Among the many benefits of mass timber is the speed of construction and simplified erection process. However, schedule savings and associated cost reductions are often overlooked when developing cost comparisons between mass timber and alternate structural systems, resulting in the unfair market perception that mass timber structures are only available at a premium. Removing this bias requires shifting the mindset of project teams, extensive collaboration between the contractor and design team, and developing confidence in the inherent efficiencies of mass timber construction. Presented by a general contractor with extensive mass timber experience, this presentation will discuss the critical importance of pre-planning, why the erection sequence should influence construction details, unique considerations for early trade coordination, opportunities to maximize pre-fabrication, and how these approaches can translate to schedule and cost savings.
Ankit is a Preconstruction Manager with PCL Construction’s Denver office where he is responsible for leading pursuits, preconstruction, and design management efforts for projects within the higher education, office, commercial mixed-use, resort/hospitality, and institutional market sectors. Ankit has worked on multiple mass timber projects, helps guide PCL’s national market outreach in the mass timber market, and is a frequent speaker on mass timber at conferences around the country.
Track Title TBD
C Meeting Rooms 123–124Moderator:
To be determined
Presentations announced Fall 2019
Networking Break with Refreshments
Exhibit Hall BSponsored by Sustainable Forestry Initiative
Build connections and relax. Enjoy:
- Lemon and berry fruit bars
- Portland Roasting regular and decaf coffee
- Hot organic Choice tea
Special Keynote "Fireside" Chat
Oregon Ballrooms 201–203Sponsored by Forest Business Network
Grab a cup of coffee and a snack, sit back and relax. Gather in the ballroom for a powerful discussion with some of the top minds and companies using mass timber to build a better world.