Steel and Wood Together? Really? How Mass Timber Turns This Combination Into a Winning Strategy
An in-depth look at why mass timber is an attractive solution to certain building challenges and how it was used in some recently completed projects
Sponsored by The Steel Institute of New York
Live Webinar Airing on May 13, 2026 at 02:00 PM ET
Mass timber and steel are increasingly being considered for building projects. This webinar will review the unique qualities of these materials that make it advisable and/or attractive to combine them in framing a building structure. It will also examine the factors affecting how they are used, the availability and supply of engineered lumber from US producers, their performance under fire conditions, and their embodied and operational carbon metrics.
Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center
Photo courtesy of Thornton Tomasetti
The Steel Institute of New York is a not-for-profit association created to advance the interests of the steel construction industry by helping architects, engineers, developers, and construction managers develop engineering solutions using structural steel construction.
Originally published in Architectural Record
Originally published in April 2026
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Discuss what is meant by mass timber and the types of materials that it encompasses.
- Discover the unique qualities of these materials and the combination of timber and steel connections that make this strategy attractive for certain building projects.
- Explore the decisions made by the architect, engineer, and contractor for an innovative recreation center in Brooklyn that features mass timber construction.
- Investigate the performance of mass timber under fire conditions.
