TSA Technical Series: Mass Timber Moisture Management

We all know the horror of discovering a wet glass left on a wooden table—but what about an entire building made of wood, left exposed to the elements during construction? 

Across Canada and North America, an increasing number of large projects—from residential mid-rises to institutional towers—are made with wood. With its speed of construction, sustainability credentials, and overall aesthetics, it’s easy to understand why we’ve seen the growing popularity of wood over the last few years. But building big with wood requires some critical changes to how we build, particularly when it comes to moisture management. Excessive moisture in mass timber buildings can lead to issues like mold growth, decay, warping, splitting, and reduced load-bearing capacity, so moisture management is crucial to ensure the structural integrity and durability of large wood projects. 

Join us and Aaron Waldt of 475 High Performance Building Supply for this essential primer on moisture management in mass timber construction, ideal for architects, builders, clients, and other stakeholders who are either interested in or already working with mass timber. In this session, Aaron will use lessons learned from two real-world job sites to review the latest techniques and products used to mitigate moisture exposure.

Key Takeaways:

• Different types of moisture damage that wood is susceptible to, and why each occurs
• Principles of developing a moisture management plan for mass timber projects of any size
• Current moisture management solutions for mass timber construction

TSA MEMBERS: This event is free for TSA Members using the discount code found in the TSA Bulletin and on your Member Dashboard! Not a member yet? Membership is open to everyone and you can join here (student memberships are free!).

OAA MEMBERS: This lecture is eligible for 1 OAA Structured Learning Hour. When registering, please include your full name as registered with the OAA to ensure your certificate of participation is credited properly. Please also include an email address you check frequently to ensure you receive our certificate in a timely manner.