Deforestation
Mass timber may be changing the building landscape, but what about deforestation? Some supporters of mass timber argue that strong markets for wood give landowners an incentive to keep land forested.⁽³⁾ In recent decades, Europe saw a slight growth in net forest area from 1990-2020 while US levels were almost unchanged in that period, according to a United Nations report.⁽⁴⁾

Meanwhile, the European Union says that wood products are crucial in the shift towards a climate-neutral economy. But the EU also warns that the benefits of the use of wood products are unlikely to kick in before 2050. It has also warned that the supply of wood products had to be part of an over-arching strategy for responsible use of global forests.

Fastening in wood constuction
A mass timber building is not usually 100% wood. Depending on the application, non-wood materials like steel or concrete continue to play a role.

That’s where Hilti’s joined-up thinking comes in. Our fastening solutions for mass timber construction enable wood-to-wood, wood-to-concrete, and wood-to-steel connections. And the placement of Hilti’s HCW anchor system into the jobsite enables wood-to-concrete fastenings of prefabricated wall panels to concrete panels. It also allows for wood-to-wood fastenings of prefabricated wall, floor and roof sections with a simple “drop and click” hardware connection.

In addition, we offer a glued-in-rod connection system with our HIT-RE 500 V3 and HIT-RE 500 V4 epoxy anchor.

Firestop for mass timber construction
Mass timber buildings are highly fire-resistant due to the fire-retardant properties of mass timber, which chars at a slower and more predictable rate while retaining its strength. Nevertheless, fire compartmentation is critical in mass timber buildings as in any other steel and/or concrete buildings, so firestop is an essential part of their design.

To enable fire compartmentation in mass timber buildings, Hilti has invested in an extensive testing program to verify the suitability of its products in mass timber construction. The focus was to ensure safety, while retaining the productivity of timber construction, including off-site prefabrication. We were one of the first companies to develop listed and certified firestop systems in cross-laminated timber in accordance with ASTM and UL standards.