KEYNOTE | Are We There Yet? Closing the Gap, Removing Barriers, and the Role of AI and AEC Software Advancements : International Mass Timber Conference

ACTIVITIES AND PANELS

Thursday, March 27, 2025

8:00 AM – 9:15 AM

KEYNOTE | Are We There Yet? Closing the Gap, Removing Barriers, and the Role of AI and AEC Software Advancements

Portland Ballrooms (Level 2, South Side)

General

Grab a complimentary coffee and head to the main stage for insightful discussion on the future of mass timber.

Description and Speakers

With a compound annual growth rate of 6%, the global adoption curve for mass timber remains healthy. However, while their weight may vary according to geography, project typology and budget, consistent and persistent barriers to adoption remain. Some of these barriers represent generic challenges typical of any new technology or innovation, others are more specific to the forest and AEC sector, and some are unique to the properties and evolution of mass timber itself.

‘Closing the gap’ with traditional construction methods and accelerating adoption of mass timber requires accurate identification of these barriers, grappling with their practical implications effectively, and ensuring consumers’ perception and trust that they have been tackled comprehensively.

In broad terms, three interventions have emerged to take the barriers on:

early adopters prepared to assume a degree of risk while pushing the envelope,
‘accelerator’ organizations convening or coordinating effort across the value chain, and
AEC tech developers exploiting rapid advances in robotics, machine learning, design tech and AI that introduce new efficiencies, improve collaboration, remove friction or tackle legacy approaches in the sector.

This roundtable discussion convenes leaders at the forefront of each of these approaches:

Paul King (Built by Nature) and Scott Francisco (Pilot Projects Design Collective) are working on accelerator efforts designed to zero in on significant barriers, produce the data necessary to inform our understanding of them, and shape strategies to eliminate them;
Lucas Epp (StructureCraft) is deeply immersed in developing AEC tech designed to help the sector reimagine how we design, implement, and collaborate on mass timber projects; and
Amy Heilig (Dlubal Software) is focused on structural analysis and design software, in particular developments in Finite Element Analysis.