The Rise of Mass Timber in Complex Markets

Mass timber has long been celebrated for its ability to sequester carbon, offering a renewable alternative to either reduce or completely replace steel and concrete—two of the most carbon-intensive building materials. Its prefabricated components can accelerate construction timelines by up to 25%, reducing on-site labor and project costs while minimizing environmental impact. Combined with its biophilic appeal, mass timber has become an attractive option for human- and planet-centered developments.

As its use expands to more complex markets like aviation, healthcare, and mission-critical environments, the conversation is shifting towards even more high performance needs. Achieving the appropriate interior acoustic quality becomes a complex challenge. While past research on acoustic performance remains highly relevant, the introduction of mass timber requires us to rethink traditional strategies and explore innovative solutions that respect the material’s unique properties. It’s not about reinventing the wheel—it’s about adapting proven acoustic principles to a new architectural landscape.

Aviation: Designing a Sense of Calm in High-Traffic, Large-Volume Spaces

The new mass timber terminal at Portland International Airport (PDX) demonstrates how thoughtful acoustic design enhances sustainable, biophilic architecture—creating a true sense of place in the Pacific Northwest. It controls passenger noise to make expansive spaces feel intimate, prioritizes clear speech intelligibility for announcements, and intentionally integrates spaces for local musicians and artists to showcase their talents and connect travelers to the region’s culture.

Healthcare: Designing for Healing

Mass timber’s biophilic benefits make it an appealing choice for healthcare spaces, promoting patient healing and well-being. While its adoption is still emerging, it brings both opportunities and challenges—particularly when navigating healthcare industry guidelines, owner design standards, vibration control, alternative noise mitigation strategies, and the need for cleanable finishes. Acoustic and vibration performance are critical to a healthcare facility’s success, directly impacting both staff efficiency and patient experience.

Healthcare projects often involve complex stakeholder groups, where informed decision-making is essential. TEECOM uses auralization and acoustic simulations to help design teams and owners hear and experience how spaces will sound before they’re built—enabling clearer conversations around privacy, noise control, and patient comfort.

Early engagement with acoustic and vibration design allows for cost-effective strategies that incorporate mass timber’s natural beauty while meeting strict performance requirements. Whether it’s ensuring speech privacy, controlling noise from high-powered equipment, or supporting vibration-sensitive technology, auralization tools help guide decisions that shape environments where both patients and staff can thrive.

Mission Critical: Fast-Tracking Sustainable Data Center Development

Global data use is set to double by 2030, with exponential growth through 2050. Yet, data center development is struggling to keep up, slowed by power constraints and rising demand. While projects like Stargate offer hope, the pressure to scale faster—and sustainably—continues to grow.

Mass timber offers one path forward, accelerating delivery by up to 25% while reducing embodied carbon. Microsoft’s hybrid CLT data centers cut carbon by 35%-65% and speed up construction—signaling a shift others are likely to follow.

However, mass timber introduces new acoustic and vibration challenges. Managing environmental noise and controlling vibrations—especially in multi-floor data centers—is crucial to protect sensitive equipment and meet strict regulations.

TEECOM uses generative design and site studies to model noise and vibration early in the process, guiding smart decisions and ensuring long-term performance.

Solving the Holistic Puzzle: Acoustics & Technology

Mass timber’s beauty and sustainability come with unique challenges across all market verticals beyond those detailed in this blog —especially when integrating acoustics, audiovisual, IT, and security designs.

At TEECOM, we take a holistic and integrated design approach, using early design coordination and advanced building information modeling tools to ensure seamless integration across all systems and services we are responsible for.

Mass timber’s success on a project lies in the details. Let’s solve the puzzle together.

Meet Robby Deem, Senior Principal Consultant, and McLean Pierce, Associate Principal at the International Mass Timber Conference in Portland, OR, March 25–27, 2025, and explore how TEECOM can help bring your next mass timber project to life.

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