Episode 9: Susan Jones - Mass Timber Goes High with Wood and Low on Carbon

Concrete and steel are responsible for significant carbon emissions within the built environment—especially when you consider the short time frame to address our climate emergency. But what about wood? Sustainably harvested wood is a low-carbon alternative, and mass timber—a collection of strategies that includes cross-laminated timber (CLT)—is gaining traction in the United States after maturing in Europe.

Susan Jones joins Building Better to talk about the many threads of mass timber and how her career has evolved alongside this climate-friendly strategy. Susan operates a design firm, atelierjones, in Seattle and has several CLT projects under her belt. She was also integral to developing building codes that enable our industry to go tall with wood. As we often do on this podcast, we examine the power of codes and collaborations. Susan weaves some great stories for us—with stops in Vienna, the University of Washington, the San Juan Islands, and more.