Mass Clean Energy Center Advances Sustainable Building Alternatives through Mass Timber Construction

Funding and technical assistance will help eight Massachusetts building teams explore the use of engineered wood in place of traditional, energy-intensive construction materials

BOSTON - The Mass Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) today announced the participants of the first MASS Timber Assembly cohort, a year-long program that helps advance construction projects using mass timber-large, engineered wood panels, beams, and columns that can replace energy-intensive concrete and steel in buildings. Each of the eight selected project teams will receive $40,000 in funding, hands-on technical assistance, project-specific analysis of costs and schedules, and opportunities to learn from other teams pursuing mass timber projects across the state.

"Choosing what we build with matters, and mass timber allows us to make greater use of a material that grows right here in Massachusetts," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. "These projects will support innovation, strengthen our building industry, and create new opportunities to use locally sourced materials."

"We can continue to look for ways to build our economy while reducing costs and pollution; mass timber is a great way to do that. Mass timber is no longer just an emerging material. It's a real option for building projects in Massachusetts, but teams still need support to navigate the early decisions that can determine whether a project moves forward," said Mass Clean Energy Center CEO Ben Downing. "MASS Timber Assembly gives building teams the funding, expertise, and industry connections to test what works in the real world and share those lessons with the broader building community."

Buildings are major sources of both operational and embodied carbon, accounting for about 40% of global greenhouse gas pollution. Unlike operational carbon, such as heating and cooling, which can be upgraded over time, embodied carbon from material extraction, transportation, manufacturing, and construction is locked in when a building is finished. With building floor area projected to double globally by 2060, addressing embodied carbon is increasingly urgent.

Mass timber is attracting growing interest as developers, designers, and builders seek more renewable, locally sourced materials in construction projects while creating new opportunities for the regional forest products industry. In addition to faster construction, more predictable costs, and healthier indoor environments, mass timber can store carbon for the life of the building. MASS Timber Assembly is designed to help teams work through challenges like cost, material sourcing, design, and construction while generating practical information that can help other Massachusetts projects consider mass timber.

The following projects were selected to participate in MASS Timber Assembly:

• 1826-1840 Mass Avenue (Cambridge, MA)

  • Two new transit-oriented, affordable housing apartment buildings, a twelve-story tower and a six-story building, both to be evaluated for mass timber.

• Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment - Building D (Charlestown, MA)

  • A Passive House building using prefabricated load-bearing exterior wall panels and cross-laminated timber floors.

• College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, MA)

  • A new residence hall that seeks to use cross-laminated timber, including salvaged lumber from a former local mill.

• Dighton Elementary School (Dighton, MA)

  • A new K-4 elementary school that will explore whether cross-laminated timber can serve as a replicable model for public school construction.

• MassDOT D5 Administration Building (Taunton, MA)

  • A new zero-net-energy administration building that is intended to be a model for future state facilities and plans to evaluate full mass timber or hybrid systems.

• Milford High School (Milford, MA)

  • A new high school with plans to evaluate incorporating mass timber in its design.

• Salem Highlands (Salem, MA)

  • An affordable housing development that is pursuing Passive House certification and plans to evaluate cross-laminated floor systems.

• Salem High School (Salem, MA)

  • A new zero-net-energy high school in Salem that is designed with dowel-laminated timber for the gymnasium, cafeteria, and wellness spaces.

The program will culminate in a public showcase and a collection of case studies documenting the participating projects and lessons learned. MassCEC expects the work to build Massachusetts-based expertise and expand mass timber use throughout the state.

For more information on MASS Timber Assembly, visit masscec.com/program/mass-timber-assembly.

Statements of Support

"The emissions associated with building materials are an underdiscussed part of the climate problem in Massachusetts and around the world," said State Senator Cindy Creem (D-Newton), Chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change and Global Warming. "I helped create the Embodied Carbon Intergovernmental Coordinating Council so that the Commonwealth could begin to reduce those emissions. I'm thrilled to see that MassCEC is advancing that work by increasing public and industry awareness about low-carbon options like mass timber."

"Massachusetts has always been a place that builds what comes next, building our schools and homes out of materials that are better for the environment and good for our regional economy," said State Representative Richard Haggerty (D-Woburn), Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing. "Mass timber is a smart, sustainable way to build, and it keeps dollars and jobs here at home. I'm happy to express my support for the MASS Timber Assembly program, and glad to see MassCEC investing in it to make this kind of building a reliable option. It also shows what the state, developers, and communities can do when they pull in the same direction."

"Massachusetts is in dire need of more housing, but it's essential that we build sustainably and remain committed to our climate goals," said State Senator Julian Cyr (D-Truro), Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing. "Mass timber offers an exciting opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of construction while advancing critical housing developments and public infrastructure projects. I'm excited to see the potential of this material at projects across the Commonwealth and how the lessons learned through this program can inform more sustainable construction for years to come."

About the Mass Clean Energy Center

The Mass Clean Energy Center is a state economic development agency dedicated to accelerating the growth of the clean energy and climatetech sector across the Commonwealth to spur job creation, deliver statewide environmental benefits, increase affordability, and secure long-term economic opportunities for the people of Massachusetts. Since 2010, MassCEC has awarded $990 million in programs and investments and attracted $3 billion in private and public funds.

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