Mass Timber = Massive Benefits
Preliminary design plans for Portland’s Performing Arts + Culture Center call for the use of climate-friendly materials from the ground up, including the signature look and feel of mass timber — great news for an emerging Oregon building products industry that delivers myriad environmental, economic and aesthetic benefits.
“We want the visitor experience of moving through the double-height lobby to feel like an immersive walk through an old-growth forest, with dappled, natural light filtering in from the skylights above,” says Michael Tingley, Principal, Bora Architecture & Interiors. “What could be more Oregonian than that?”
Together with Bora, Portland State University, already a leader in LEED-certified buildings, is looking to build a performing arts complex using the latest in low-carbon building technologies to create a future-forward, world-class home for arts and culture in downtown Portland that is sure to become a landmark.
Mass timber is the collective term for a category of engineered wood products created by laminating, fastening, or bonding wood layers to form large, solid and structurally superior components. Using mass timber in building projects provides additional climate benefits by replacing energy-intensive building materials like steel and concrete.
Using mass timber in the Performing Arts + Culture Center project offers a triple win:
- Natural wood is healthy for building occupants.
- Mass timber is a boon for local sourcing and the Oregon economy.
- The environment will benefit from a lower-carbon approach.
“What we found from using mass timber in the construction of the new home for our Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design was that it can be cost-effective while delivering all the sustainability and design benefits of using natural materials,” says Jason Franklin, who leads planning, construction and real estate for PSU.
Construction of the Performing Arts + Culture Center, slated to begin in 2028 after a thorough design process, will leverage that collective experience and leadership in sustainability and climate-friendly building.
Bora’s Tingley envisions a mass timber structural system for the Center’s public spaces — an intentional choice connecting Oregon’s physical landscape to the arts patron experience.
“Beyond supporting our local industry, mass timber is deeply tied to the historical and experiential character of Portland and our region,” Tingley says. “It is also a deeply sustainable choice — a renewable and regionally produced resource that captures carbon, while strengthening forest resilience, mitigating wildfire risk, and directly supporting tribal and rural communities.”