Mass timber construction has been shown to be cheaper than concrete frame construction, particularly on larger projects. This is primarily due to mass timber construction achieving a 25% reduction in construction programme and the resultant savings in financing costs, preliminary costs and contingency costs. However a mass timber specialist must be part of the design team if cost savings are to be fully realized. This is due to the fact that 70-80% of a building’s cost is determined during the design phase of a project and on-site period of the mass timber structure by its design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA).
