Mass Timber Adoption Increases Within New Zealand Construction

A significant upsurge in mass timber awareness and application was highlighted by the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) in its survey of building and construction experts.

Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association Chief Executive, Mark Ross, says the finding is encouraging and signals an increased adoption of engineered timber products in New Zealand by builders, designers and architects.

“The timber that we are talking about is not only renewable but has environmental advantages over steel and concrete when it comes to carbon storage and durability,” Ross says.

“With New Zealand’s sustainable forestry model, using locally grown timber supports our circular bio-economy, climate change targets, and domestic processing of logs.

Forecasting by Deloitte’s indicates that changing our market share to timber by 25 percent would result in the removal of an additional 920,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the environment each year. Greater use of timber is critical to rebuilding New Zealand’s economy, boosting our GDP, and providing regional jobs in a highly productive sector.

The BRANZ survey is carried out biennially. Data compared over a period of five years highlights noticeable growth in the role of mass timber use in New Zealand construction.

This mirrors global trends, with the engineered wood products market projected to grow by 77 percent to $268 billion (NZD) by 2031.

Changes in engineered timber use can be attributed to a heightened focus on carbon-neutral construction practices, the increasing demand for energy-efficient buildings, and consumer preference for natural materials.

The BRANZ survey is supported by Mid-Rise Construction https://midrisewood.co.nz/, a co-investment programme between MPI and Red Stag, which is stimulating the use of mass-timber engineered wood products in construction.

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