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 | Presented by Martin Hopp, Efe Karanci, Ph.D., P.E., and John Hand, PE, SE, LEED AP
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
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Martin Hopp is the founder and principal of Martin Hopp Architect (MHA), a New York City–based practice specializing in high-performance educational buildings and mass timber construction. With over two decades of experience, including senior roles at Rafael Viñoly Architects and John McAslan + Partners, he brings a rigorous, design-led approach to complex projects. Martin’s work focuses on hybrid timber–steel systems that combine the structural efficiency of steel with the environmental and experiential benefits of mass timber. His firm’s flagship project, Evergreen Charter School in Hempstead, New York, is among the first large-scale hybrid mass timber K–12 schools on the East Coast and has received national recognition, including the 2022 Mass Timber Competition: Building to Net-Zero award. Through his practice, research initiatives, and collaborations with public agencies, Martin advocates for scalable, cost-effective timber solutions that support decarbonization, healthy buildings, and improved outcomes in education. |
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Efe Karanci, Ph.D., P.E., is a structural engineer at Thornton Tomasetti with extensive experience delivering complex new construction and renovation projects across commercial, mixed-use, sports, and cultural sectors. He specializes in structural analysis, design, and peer review, with expertise in high-rise buildings, long-span steel systems, stadiums, and complex steel and concrete renovations. Efe holds a Ph.D. and M.S. from Columbia University and a B.S. from Middle East Technical University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York and New Hampshire and has authored numerous technical publications. |
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John Hand, PE, SE, LEED AP is an Associate Principal with Arup with over 18 years’ experience. John designs world class structures that demand high levels of collaboration between design professionals. With an academic background in architecture, philosophy and business, John excels in projects demanding innovative and architecturally expressed structures. John serves as an engineer for a diverse array of projects locally and internationally, including commercial developments, academic buildings, high rise, sculptures, retrofit and airports. Passionate about design, John is a frequent architectural reviewer at several universities including the MIT Department of Architecture, Roger Williams University, Boston Architectural College, University of Houston, and Rice University. John is one of Arup’s Subject Matter Experts in Mass Timber, having designed Arup’s first CLT project in the Americas 15 years ago. Since then, he has continued to work on numerous mass timber and hybrid steel and mass timber projects across the United States. |
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.
