Episode 14 | Jack Keays: Insights in Mass Timber and Building Codes

Jack Keays, an expert fire safety engineer and building code consultant, discusses his journey into the mass timber industry and the integral role of mass timber in his practice. He highlights the sustainability and aesthetic appeal of mass timber, as well as the importance of exposing the structure in design. Keays also addresses the misconceptions around fire safety in mass timber buildings and the need for better education and understanding in the insurance industry. He emphasizes the potential of mass timber in affordable housing and the challenges and opportunities in the future of mass timber design and construction.

Episode 13 | Michael Suljak Discusses Mass Timber and Eastern Construction

Michael Suljak, Vice President of Strategic Development at Eastern Construction, discusses his journey into the mass timber sector and the benefits and challenges of building with mass timber. He highlights the beauty and satisfaction of working with mass timber, the need for coordination and collaboration among trades, and the importance of early involvement of fabricators and constructors in the design process.

Episode 12 | Ryan Going Discusses UofT’s Tall Academic Wood Tower

Ryan Going, P.Eng. is a construction manager with experience delivering large-scale buildings and civil projects across industrial, institutional, commercial and healthcare markets in Canada and the UK.

As a project manager with Pomerleau, Ryan is currently managing the delivery of the Academic Wood Tower for the University of Toronto, which at 14 storeys and 76m is the tallest wood structure under construction in Canada. Ryan is also a founding member of Pomerleau’s National Wellbeing Committee which focuses on improving mental health supports for Pomerleau’s 4000+ employees across the country. Ryan is a member of the Toronto Construction Association’s Young Construction Leaders (YCL) Executive committee.

Episode 11 | Jeff Ranson: Mass Timber in Master Plans

Jeff joined Northcrest Developments to lead the Responsible Development strategy for the redevelopment of the 370-acre Downsview Airport Lands in Toronto. He brings two decades of experience with sustainability leadership positions at BOMA Toronto, the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), Sustainable Buildings Canada, and Toronto 2030 District. He frequently advises on public policy including appointments to the City of Toronto Climate Advisory Group and the Waterfront Toronto Design Review Panel (2017-2023). 

Episode 10 | Mass Timber Markets with with Jean-Marc Dubois from Nordic Structures

Jean-Marc is the Director of Business Development for Nordic Structures, the building systems division of Canadian lumber manufacturer Chantiers Chibougamau.  His career spans 44 years in the building products industry with regional, national and international corporations, focusing on value-added, engineered wood and Mass Timber products. Jean-Marc’s penchant for delivering customer solutions through value engineering and process optimization led him to join the structures division of Nordic Structures, collaborating with clients, architects, engineers, designers and builders to provide sustainable built Mass Timber solutions across North America.

Episode 9 | A Valuable Indigenous Mass Timber Perspective: Eladia Smoke

KaaSheGaaBaaWeak | Eladia Smoke is Anishinaabekwe from Obishikokaang | Lac Seul First Nation, with family roots in Alderville First Nation, Winnipeg, and Toronto. Eladia has worked in architecture since 2002, and founded Smoke Architecture as principal architect in 2014. She is the first Anishinabekwe architect in Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec, as well as the third Indigenous woman licensed as an architect in Canada. Her current professional work includes community-based and institutional projects working alongside Indigenous stakeholders, collaborating with First Nation communities, and listening closely to our Elders.

Episode 8 | Robert Schmitz: Learning from the Mass Timber Experience of Scandinavia

Robert Schmitz (*1979, Stockholm) is an award-winning architect and one of White Architect’s leading partners. He has steered several of the company’s flagship projects from competition to completion with a special focus on designing public, civic and cultural buildings that encourage a sense of belonging. He is an award winning, modern-day pioneer of timber design and construction and the lead architect of the internationally awarded Sara Cultural Centre, the world’s largest, carbon negative timber building. Robert is director of the Stockholm competitions team, while providing strategic input into the management of the Stockholm studio. Furthermore, he takes part in international Architectural juries and is a highly appreciated keynote speaker worldwide.

Episode 7 | Carol Phillips: Jill of  All Trades – Mastering Collaboration for Architectural Innovation

Carol is a Partner with the renowned architecture firm Moriyama Teshima Architects (MTA) known for remarkable, innovative Canadian and international projects. Carol is Design Leader for MTA’s most ambitious low carbon projects. A Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Carol’s inspired designs have received international awards and are distinguished by the spare but assertive use of materials that bring identity and grace to communities. Her practice is increasingly focused on low carbon and timber in the search for ways the construction industry can contribute better solutions to the climate crisis. Along with her built work, Carol provides service to the architectural community through teaching at the University of Toronto, lecturing internationally, acting as a juror for design awards, and sitting on various design review panels.

Episode 6 | Mark Gaglione: Cutting Edge Mass Timber Technology with EllisDon

Initially trained as an engineer, Mark Gaglione spent the early part of his career in private real estate development. Now with EllisDon, Mark leads the Building and Material Sciences team where he is focused on accelerating the adoption of emerging construction technologies and supporting construction operations nationally. Mark has played a central role in the proliferation of mass timber within EllisDon and is passionate about low-carbon building solutions.

Episode 5 | Dr. Jeremy Williams: Sustainable Forestry and Mass Timber

Jeremy is a Registered Professional Forester with the province of Ontario in Canada. He is also the president of Arborvitae Environmental Services providing clients with services related to carbon offsets, verification, forest management planning, forest economics, auditing and consulting. Here, Anne and Jeremy delve into the sourcing aspect of mass timber to help builders and architects understand where their wood is coming from and how to ensure it is coming from a sustainable source. They also touch on biogenic carbon and it’s implications in sustainable construction with the climate crisis always in mind. 

Episode 4 | Patrick Crabbe: Canadian Innovations in Mass Timber with Bird Construction

Patrick is also the leader of a Mass Timber Manufacturing start-up, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. MTC is a sawmill-integrated, glulam-focused entity, that is currently executing a $2.3M feasibility effort to code approve proprietary high-performing mass timber products (made from undervalued-commodity maritime spruce, pine and fir) that will expand the needed capacity of North American mass timber products and positively impact sustainable forestry practises. 

Episode 3 | Franco Piva: A European Perspective on Mass Timber

Franco is known as the Italian Timber Engineer and founder of engineering company Ergodomus. His focus lies in sustainable timber projects around the world. Craig and Franco discuss the sustainability of mass timber as well as key challenges currently preventing the global adoption of mass timber. They also cover mass timber innovations Franco sees in his work, and the role that architects and engineers play in design for manufacture and assembly.

Episode 2 | Lacey Rose: Forestry and Mass Timber – A Forester’s Perspective

Lacey Rose is a Forester with the County of Renfrew in Ontario, Canada. She is also the co-founder of Women in Wood, and a proponent of gender inclusion in the the forest industry. Anne speaks with Lacey while they investigate where the wood used in mass timber comes from in Canada, and how Lacey plays a part in ensuring this wood supply is sustainable, and what sustainable forestry really means. This conversation will help builders and architects contextualize the origins of the wood they use.

Episode 1 | Alan Organschi: Systematic Understandings of Material (Re)use

Alan Organschi is a Design Principal and partner at Gray Organschi Architecture in New Haven, Connecticut, and the Director of the Innovation Lab at Bauhaus Erde. Anne and Alan discuss his current work at Bauhaus Erde as well as his work at Gray Organschi architecture. Alan informs us about how we need to work to design buildings for a circular economy of mass timber that is separate from an extractive industry.

Episode 0 | Dr. Anne Koven & Professor Robert Wright: Introducing Mass Timber Today

Dr. Anne Koven, and Professor Robert Wright along with host Craig Applegath, discuss the all new Mass Timber Today Podcast, what listeners can expect from the podcast, and the questions it tries to answer. They also inform listeners why they started the Mass Timber Insittute, and how they hope the podcast will help the Institute in it’s mission.

Trailer | Shan Shukla: What is Mass Timber Today?

Shan Shukla, producer of the podcast and Research Coordinator at the Mass Timber Institute gives a taste of what the Mass Timber Today Podcast is about, and what listeners can expect from the podcast moving forward.