How Mass Timber is Changing Construction with Timberlab's Ariana Cohn

When venturing out to non-traditional tools and processes, a healthy amount of skepticism is normal. People are naturally resistant to change, and implementing new methodologies feels uncomfortable. However, if we don’t try new things or adopt fresh innovations, we risk falling behind and missing out on opportunities. 

One example of a non-traditional approach to building is mass timber. While the material has been used in Europe for over a decade, it hasn’t hit the mainstream construction market in the US until recently. There are several misconceptions about mass timber, and folks can be hesitant to embrace it as a viable building material. 

Here to shed light on the subject is Ariana Cohn, Digital Construction Engineer at Timberlab, an employee-owned firm that focuses on mass timber. I had the pleasure of speaking with her at Autodesk University 2023, and we touched on several interesting points, including common myths,  reasons to be bullish about the methodology, and the steps you can take to ensure your mass timber initiatives are successful.