MASS Timber Assembly

CLT (pictured at the Fairbanks museum, the first building to use Eastern Hemlock CLT) consists of multiple wood panels that are glued together, providing strength and stability comparable to concrete, steel, and heavy timber. Photo: Erica Houskeeper, VSJF
CLT, (pictured at Fairbanks, the first building to use Eastern Hemlock CLT) consists of multiple wood panels that are glued together, providing strength and stability comparable to concrete, steel, and heavy timber. Photo by Erica Houskeeper, VSJF

MassCEC / High Performance Buildings / Funding / MASS Timber Assembly

The Challenge

Buildings are enormous generators of both operational and embodied carbon, accounting for approximately 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Unlike operational carbon emissions, such as heating and cooling, that can be upgraded over time, embodied carbon emissions from material extraction, transportation, manufacturing, and construction are locked in the moment a building is finished. With building floor area projected to double globally by 2060, addressing embodied carbon emissions is increasingly urgent.

Common structural materials like concrete and steel are especially carbon intensive and financially volatile. Mass timber is a material that offers a regional, renewable, carbon storing alternative. Large engineered wood panels, columns, and beams sequester carbon for the life of the building. Mass timber is consistently faster to build with, cost-predictable, healthier for occupants, and provides much needed partnership to forests looking to adapt to quickly changing business and climate environments.

Despite Mass Timber's innumerable benefits, however, as a relatively new building material, project teams still face uncertainty around key issues of cost, procurement, and design coordination.

About MASS Timber Assembly

MASS Timber Assembly is a 12-month cohort program for Massachusetts building project teams pursuing mass timber construction. Eight project teams were selected to receive grant funding, hands-on technical assistance, facilitated peer-to-peer learning, and workshop sessions with industry experts; all committed to sharing their experience about how to best advance individual projects and mass timber adoption more broadly.

MASS Timber Assembly is designed to:

  • Advance the design and construction of mass timber projects in Massachusetts
  • Build the capacity of Massachusetts-based project teams to design and construct mass timber buildings
  • Generate knowledge to expand the market for mass timber in Massachusetts

Participants will receive:

  • $40,000 in grant funding per project team
  • A structured technical analysis of the project’s cost, construction schedule, and carbon impacts, developed collaboratively with the project team
  • Dedicated 1:1 technical assistance from mass timber and embodied carbon experts
  • Access to key decision makers in the mass timber supply ecosystem, including hands-on workshops and industry roundtables
  • Peer-to-peer learning with seven other project teams navigating similar challenges
  • In-person program sessions, including: a kickoff event, technical training from WoodWorks, a dedicated construction-management session, a mid-program industry roundtable, and a final showcase
  • Shared team workspace and cohort communications tools
  • A published case study in the MASS Timber Assembly project collection
  • The 2026 cohort has been selected, and the program begins in fall 2026. Profiles of the eight participating projects will be posted here once the program is underway. Check back for updates as the cohort's work progresses.
Closed
Program Area
High Performance Buildings

Resources

Schedule

 

Milestone Timing
Release of RFP July 1, 2026
Questions due via this form July 21, 2026
Questions with Answers Posted to MassCEC Website July 28, 2026
Proposals Due August 28, 2026
Interviews of Top Applicants September 2026
Notification of Award Fall 2026
Award Contracting with MassCEC Fall 2026
Program Kickoff Fall 2026
Mid-point Roundtable and Midterm Report Spring 2027
Program Final Report Fall 2027

Have a question about the program?

Submit it using this form. Answers to common questions are added to the FAQs below periodically.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the time commitment for participating teams?

This is a 12-month program. There will be mandatory attendance for select in-person sessions (including the Kickoff, Mid-point Roundtable, final Showcase, and other sessions determined by the group). In-person attendance is encouraged at all non-mandatory sessions, but virtual attendance will be accommodated knowing teams may be distributed across the Commonwealth. Teams are expected to participate in virtual office hours, attend one-on-one support sessions with WoodWorks and other outside advisors, and actively engage with the rest of the cohort in peer-to-peer sharing and learning.

What wood sourcing or timber transparency requirements are there?

There are no specific timber sourcing requirements, however, the program will emphasize the role of sourcing and transparency as essential elements in mass timber's growth, and will provide technical assistance to teams pursuing intentional sourcing requirements. At end-of-program reporting, teams will be asked to share basic information about the wood used in their project including manufacturer, panel specification, species, and Environmental Product Declarations. Additional sourcing and chain of custody information will be encouraged when available.

Will projects be required to complete a whole-building life cycle assessment (WBLCA)?

Yes. As part of the Mass Timber System Analysis, each team will complete a cradle-to-gate whole-building LCA for their project. The consulting team will provide technical assistance on LCA methodology and help teams access appropriate tools and resources. The program will develop benchmarks that draw on existing data to contextualize individual project results and estimate embodied carbon reductions.

FAQs continue...

When does the program begin?

The cohort was selected in fall 2026, and the program runs through fall 2027.

Who delivers the program?

MASS Timber Assembly is funded by MassCEC and delivered by BC Productions (program strategy and stakeholder engagement), Cambium (program management, technical assistance, and data collection), and WoodWorks (education, technical training, and project support).

We're a technology provider or industry partner interested in supporting the MASS Timber Assembly cohort. How can we get involved?

Thank you for your interest in the MASS Timber Assembly program. Billy Craig, WoodWorks, and Cambium make up the core technical assistance team for this cohort, and that scope is set as part of the program's agreement with MassCEC.

To keep the program fair to every applicant and cohort team, we don't broker preferential introductions or match specific vendors to specific projects. What we can do is surface useful tools, materials, and approaches as general education for the whole cohort, so teams can see what's available and decide for themselves what fits their project. Any team is always free to engage an outside provider directly on their own. The program is also still in active planning, and the exact mix of sessions and topics will be shaped by what the cohort teams tell us they need once we're underway. If there's a natural fit, we're glad to keep your information on file and consider it as that picture comes together. If you'd like to stay in the loop, feel free to check back on the program page for updates.

MassCEC / High Performance Buildings / Funding / MASS Timber Assembly

Additional Funding Opportunities

BETA: Project Planning

Open
Program Area
High Performance Buildings
Opportunity Type
Grants
Award Potential

Each participating building will receive an electrification and decarbonization plan, including direction to financing options and a recommended implementation timeline.

Application Deadline

Rolling

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