Perceived barriers to the widespread adoption of Mass Timber Construction: An Australian construction industry case study

  • Paul D Kremer University of Melbourne
  • Mark A Symmons Australian Catholic University
Keywords: Mass Timber Construction, Barriers to Entry, Cross Laminated Timber, Australia, Collaborative Constrution, Hybrid Timber Building Solutions, GluLam, CLT, Massive Timber

Abstract

Mass Timber Construction (MTC) has significant potential to improve the way the world constructs. However, despite a number of significant projects in Australia, and reported success in Europe and North America, Australia’s construction industry has been slow to adopt the system as a mainstream technology. The current study seeks to better understand the nature of the perceived hurdles to greater MTC use. A series of in-depth interviews explored perceived barriers to MTC adoption and strategies for overcoming them. Barriers can be categorised into two domains, ‘material’ and ‘method’. Material based barriers include, the way timber structures are designed and delivered compared with more traditional forms of construction. Knowledge seems incomplete, or incorrect, concerning the technology’s durability in terms of fire, rot and structural integrity. Method based barriers include a lack of open source financial and commercial information for risk management purposes. The study concludes with nine practical recommendations.

Published
2018-08-04
How to Cite
Kremer, P., & Symmons, M. (2018). Perceived barriers to the widespread adoption of Mass Timber Construction: An Australian construction industry case study. Mass Timber Construction Journal, 1(1), 1 - 8. Retrieved from https://journalmtc.com/index.php/mtcj/article/view/6