Steve Freihon/Related-Oxford
New York, New York
Pushing the Limits of Mass Timber | Mass Timber Podcast
April 21, 2026
This post is part of Thornton Tomasetti Here’s How: Mainstreaming Mass Timber, a podcast hosted by Paul Becker and Kristina Rogers which explores trends, delivery and performance for mass timber in structural engineering projects.
About This Episode
This episode explores recent advances in mass timber design, including how new structural systems and fabrication methods are expanding what’s possible—and what it takes to deliver those systems in practice.
Inside The Episode
This episode, hosts Paul Becker and Kristina Rogers talk with Eli Gottlieb about how mass timber is shifting from a niche material to a mainstream building system. Successful timber projects require early planning around layout, spans, orientation, and standard panel dimensions to optimize material efficiency and erection speed. Close attention to these issues reduces the cost of mass timber buildings.
The conversation also explores timber’s potential for dramatic architectural forms and unconventional uses, such as pavilion roofs and bridges. These ambitious designs succeed when teams standardize where possible and collaborate closely with fabricators on connections and detailing.
Eli uses real-world examples to illuminate the conversation, including Princeton University’s Hobson College, the Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center at Hudson Valley Shakespeare, and the High Line Moynihan Connector bridge.
