June 2026 Newsletter: Projects, News & Events
Dear Friends and Partners, as we await news on Phase II implementation funding through the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs program, work across the PNW Mass Timber Tech Hub continues. We look forward to sharing updates with the network as they become available and appreciate the continued energy and collaboration that are helping position the Pacific Northwest for its next chapter of mass timber leadership.
Dear Friends and Partners,
One of the clearest takeaways from this year’s International Mass Timber Conference was that the next phase of industry growth will depend less on individual projects and more on coalition-building across manufacturing, forestry, workforce development, higher education, policy, and capital markets. Conversations throughout IMTC reinforced the importance of regional alignment, shared infrastructure, and collaborative market development as the sector moves from early adoption toward scaled deployment.
Federal Legislation: Bipartisan Momentum
The Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act, introduced last month by Representatives GT Thompson (R-PA) and Andrea Salinas (D-OR), now means there is a House companion effort to the Senate bill championed by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Sen. James Risch (R-ID) in 2024.
The legislation would establish incentives for federal agencies to utilize mass timber in the construction, renovation, and acquisition of public buildings, including military facilities. With lawmakers from Oregon and Idaho helping lead the effort, the Pacific Northwest remains at the forefront of shaping national policy.
Projects to Watch
Portland State University's Schnitzer School Opens as a Regional Showcase
Completed in May 2026, the new home of Portland State University's Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design is the first mass timber building on PSU's campus and a significant addition to Portland's growing portfolio of civic mass timber architecture.
The project exemplifies the power of regional collaboration:
- Approximately 100,000 square feet across four stories
- Designed by LEVER Architecture
- Constructed by Swinerton
- Timber fabrication and supply led by Timberlab
- Approximately 520,000 board feet of regional Douglas-fir glulam
- More than half of the wood sourced from Native-managed forests
- Features long-span timber elements supporting classrooms, studios, galleries, and faculty spaces
WoodWorks hosted a site tour of the project on June 4, offering attendees an up-close look at a building that tells a distinctly Pacific Northwest story—from forest to fabrication to final occupancy. Move-in is anticipated later this summer.
Deep dives:
Vancouver's New PNE Amphitheatre Opens
Just in time for FIFA World Cup festivities, Vancouver's Freedom Mobile Arch officially opened on June 5. The 10,000-seat venue features one of the world's longest timber arch roof structures, spanning 105 metres through an intricate system of glulam and steel arches arranged in intersecting barrel vaults. The project utilized more than 2,000 cubic metres of mass timber, achieving an estimated 40 percent reduction in embodied carbon compared to a conventional baseline. Just across the border, the amphitheatre stands as a highly visible demonstration of mass timber's ability to deliver iconic, large-scale civic infrastructure.
Oregon Acoustic Research Laboratory Takes Shape
The University of Oregon and the Port of Portland recently celebrated a major construction milestone for the Oregon Acoustic Research Laboratory (OARL) at Terminal 2's Mass Timber and Housing Innovation Campus. Built with mass timber, the facility will become the first National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-accredited acoustic testing laboratory on the West Coast dedicated to mass timber assemblies, providing the research and performance data needed to accelerate broader adoption of timber in housing and commercial construction. As the PNW Mass Timber Tech Hub evolves, projects like OARL illustrate the type of enabling infrastructure that helps regional innovation ecosystems compete at national scale.
OSU's Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex Nears Completion
Oregon State University's Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex is on track for substantial completion in late fall 2026, with laboratory commissioning to follow in early 2027. It is a precedent-setter, in that the mass timber structure has been engineered to conform to the rigorous vibration criteria associated with sensitive lab equipment. We expect this will open up important new applications of mass timber for use in lab facilities and data centers. It will house one of the nation’s largest supercomputers and add significantly to the university’s R&D capabilities.
Mass Timber: Sustainable Construction & Quality Jobs
A recent feature from Cornell Chronicle highlights mass timber's dual potential as both a decarbonization strategy and an economic development tool. The piece emphasizes the sector's capacity to support skilled jobs across forestry, manufacturing, design, engineering, and construction—messaging that resonates strongly with workforce and policy conversations across the Pacific Northwest.
Events & Gatherings
June 25, 2026 - Regional Online Seminar (CA-North, NV, UT, NY)
This bi-coastal presentation provides an overview of tall timber code pathways and key design considerations. It also compares provisions in the California Building Code and New York State Building Code. → Register here.
August 19–21, 2026 — Mass Timber Group Summit 2026 | Denver, CO.
AEC- and developer-focused event centered on project delivery, finance, hybrid systems, affordable housing, and real-world case studies. → Mass Timber Group Summit
With funding provided by the US Economic Development Administration to Oregon State University, we are laying the foundation for our shared vision of a globally competitive industry in mass timber.
— The PNW Mass Timber Tech Hub Team
Marcus Kauffman, ODF, Tech Hub Regional Innovation Officer (RIO)
Iain Macdonald, OSU, Hub Director
*A reminder that the Tech Hub is open to organizations, agencies, educational institutions, and nonprofit partners across OR, WA, ID, and MT. With a full value chain focus across forest management, harvest, and milling to design, manufacturing, and construction and including those providing products, services, innovation, or infrastructure, members share a commitment to collaborative efforts to expand sustainable wood use, strengthen the regional mass timber industry, and position it for global competitiveness.
Stay Informed
The Mass Timber Tech Hub's newsletter is a great way to stay up to date on what's happening in the mass timber industry.
