This is a great article from Katerra, about the benefits of mass timber and panelized construction. Right now, mass timber is probably the best solution for Katerra to provide the best benefits to their customers. At least it is today based on what Katerra knows and how they have designed their production facilities.
This post is not about Katerra or the use of wood. This post is meant to be yet another wake-up call from me about the need for alternative construction materials to get in the game or watch your share of construction decline. I thought the headline might get your attention. I think it’s called click bait!
If you are in metal or concrete or another material and think you will be getting a phone call from Katerra, don’t hold your breath.
It’s up to you, ideally as a group to rethink your materials and how they are used. You are probably still living in the world of site built which means you are stuck in the past.
We are at a tipping point where a lot of the waste and inefficiency is finally going to be driven out of construction. You are either going to be part of this change or risk being left behind.
Yes, everyone says that wood is a lot less expensive than alternatives like metal or concrete. That thinking is based on the context of how buildings have been built. We take the least expensive material (wood) and reduce the labor costs (factory) and we have a winner.
It was easy for wood to make this transition. It will be harder for concrete and metal, it will require some real out of the box thinking.
If the goal is to reduce waste and inefficiency, how can steel studs do that better than wood?
And yes, they probably aren’t going to build concrete walls in a factory, but it all ends up on a job site. In this new world, does concrete have a different role to play?
Think about it!
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