Day Two

• Break free from outdated material mindsets – challenge legacy assumptions about steel, concrete, and “the way it’s always been done” to unlock new pathways for regenerative construction.
• Tune into the true value of mass timber & bio-based materials – illuminate these solutions not as alternatives, but as high-performance, renewable systems inspired by nature’s proven design playbook.
• Build confidence to take smart risks – gain practical inspiration and real-world examples that empower you to pilot new materials, influence teams, and move from cautious compliance to bold innovation.

• Implementing proactive risk management and site protocols to control moisture, weather exposure, material protection and fire risks to reduce disruptions and rework
• Engaging insurers, risk engineers, manufacturers, project partners, and delivery teams early to improve insurability, streamline approvals, and resolve issues before they impact delivery
• Aligning perception with proven practice by examining proven fire performance, protection strategies, and emerging best practices facilitating safer, taller, and more complex bio-based projects 

• Examining how mass timber, bio-based materials, and typical construction materials – such as concrete and steel – can be combined to optimize performance, sustainability, and design flexibility
• Exploring real-world examples of hybrid construction across sectors, including data centers and commercial buildings, to understand where targeted material adoption delivers the greatest value
• Understanding practical strategies for integrating mass timber and bio-based insulation into conventional construction systems while maintaining project feasibility and performance standards

• Understanding how emerging organizations are tackling supply chain gaps, addressing regional constraints, logistical bottlenecks, and demand volatility to improve material access and reliability
• Using agile business models to de-risk delivery, aligning product development, procurement, and project partners around lead times, specifications, and real project demands
• Breaking through scale barriers, including certification pathways, regulatory hurdles, and infrastructure limitations, to accelerate market entry and adoption of new biobased materials

This interactive breakout session challenges teams to move beyond concept and into constructability paradigms by designing a real-world building using a combination of mass timber and bio-based materials. 

Each team will be tasked with designing a building and presenting a clear justification as to how and why this could be successfully delivered. Teams must consider all factors, including cost, supply chain realities, performance requirements, and constructability.

Teams are encouraged to be bold and push the limits of these emerging materials  

• Addressing how market shifts are establishing both challenges and new opportunities for bio-based residuals, including the decline of traditional disposal routes, and the emergence of new applications in materials, agriculture, and industrial supply
• Advancing pathways to convert residuals into higher-value products and energy solutions, including engineered materials, pellets, bioenergy, and the role of carbon sequestration in unlocking additional value
• Identifying the infrastructure, regulatory, and logistics requirements necessary to scale residual systems, including investment barriers, regulation, and supply chain coordination

• Identifying high-impact opportunities to reduce project costs through smarter design, structural optimization, and integrated project delivery
• Leveraging hybrid construction approaches to deploy mass timber and bio-based materials where they create the greatest value, reduce quantities, and accelerate cost efficiency
• Improving productivity and offsetting material premiums through prefabrication, modular construction, and accelerated project schedules
• Quantifying the business case for adoption by balancing upfront costs against schedule savings, labor efficiencies, and long-term value creation

• Understanding how evolving building codes and local jurisdiction requirements are shaping the adoption of emerging bio-based materials, including implications for height, scale, and use type
• Exploring proven strategies for navigating permitting and approval processes without cost variances, drawing on real-world project experiences from developers, architects, and engineers
• Evaluating how policy incentives, sustainability programs, and decarbonization initiatives can be leveraged to improve feasibility, strengthen project economics, and accelerate adoption

• Insights into overcoming challenges and fostering wider adoption of mass timber in data centers, distribution centers, and warehouses
• Understanding the strategic decision to use wood in an industrial setting and its environmental benefits
• Exploring how projects of this magnitude create substantial demand for emerging, low-carbon materials, and how the resulting impact on production costs can benefit the entire mass timber industry