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University of Montana W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, Science Lab & Teaching Complex Will Showcase Mass Timber Construction
The design embodies the pedagogical focus of the College—field-based experiential learning and research—by demonstrating the prowess of mass timber. As a key component of the project, showcasing the potential of glulam beam and cross laminated timber (CLT) construction creates a living learning environment that exposes students and visitors to mass timber’s inherent beauty, strength, flexibility, and low carbon footprint.
The project’s size and scale make it an ideal candidate for exploring low carbon design, utilizing as much structural mass timber as possible and optimizing the embodied carbon of any steel, concrete, and other structural materials. The structural system will also be detailed for future disassembly and reuse, safeguarding the mass timber—and all its sequestered carbon—beyond the lifespan of the building.
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Late last week, I slipped out of the office for a fun tour of a local mass timber project here in my hometown of Missoula, Montana. You may recall in September that I let you know about the groundbreaking of the National Museum of Forest Service History‘s new National Conservation Legacy Center. This impressive building, when finished, will be a true showpiece for mass timber and wood products here in Missoula and western Montana. Best of all, it’ll be an invaluable educational experience and calling card for our industry’s immense contributions to beautiful, healthy, and sustainable buildings — and healthy forests — for an expected 80,000–100,000 visitors each year.
On the tour, I met Hunter Hessian , Field Project Manager for Dick Anderson Construction , who enthusiastically walked me around the build site. Hunter, a true mass timber advocate, was particularly proud to highlight Brandon Stapleton and Rodney Creutberg. These two Dick Anderson Construction employees have been crucial to the project’s success and are graduates of the company’s two-year self-perform training program. Dick Anderson anticipates completing the building mid-March 2026.
Many longtime exhibitors and sponsors of the International Mass Timber Conference are contributing to this build, including:
- Vaagen Timbers: 300+ CLT wall panels and numerous CLT glulam beams.
- Freres Engineered Wood: Mass Plywood Panel (MPP) roof panels and MPP stair treads.
- The CLT and MPP products were pre-treated at Vaagen’s and Freres’ respective factories with a Sansin KP12 stain.
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