Joe Mayo

Associate Principal
Mahlum Architects

Joe Mayo, architect and author, is a passionate advocate for healthy, equitable, and sustainable environments, having focused on K-12 schools for over 16 years at Mahlum.

He was an early adopter and proponent of mass timber, having authored the first English language book devoted exclusively to large scale commercial mass timber architecture: Solid Wood: Mass Timber Architecture, Technology and Design.

Joe advised on the first installation of U.S. produced structural cross-laminated timber (CLT) in the country and completed a series of three pilot CLT classroom buildings, the first use of this material for K-12 educational facilities in Washington. He is currently overseeing the State’s first 3-story full mass timber elementary school as well as a hybrid 4-story mass timber school in Seattle.

Joe has worked on two federally funded mass timber research projects through Wood Innovation Grants, has been a jury member for wood design awards, co-authored research papers exploring the economic viability of tall wood buildings, and assisted in teaching mass timber courses.

Joe has served on multiple AIA Committees, created the AIA Seattle Committee on Mass Timber and is currently serving on a Technical Advisory Group to further code development for mass timber in Washington.