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V O L . X X X I N O. X V I J U LY 2 8 , 2 0 2 5 28 R E A L E S TAT E / C O N S T R U C T I O N / E N G I N E E R I N G F O C U S biophilia that supposes humans feel more relaxed in natural environments. "Studies have shown that stress levels, cortisol levels, go down," Becker says. "ey've even found that in elementary school environments, the learning outcomes are better in a natural environment." Taking the lead Consigli has built or renovated 25 mass timber projects in New England and New York City. At Bowdoin College, Consigli recently built the John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies and Barry Mills Hall, two buildings totaling 50,000 square feet, with concrete founda- tions but all mass timber above ground. Consigli used mass timber for a wing in Boston's Museum of Science and in facilities at Colby, Williams and Smith colleges, Harvard University, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, where the 40,000-square- foot Crewe Center for the Arts has just been completed. Tonello is particularly excited about the firm's 50,000-square-foot Green Engineering and Materials building under construction at the University of Maine's Orono campus, which will be home to the Factory of the Future. The industry lacks a Maine manufacturer Despite its attributes and advocates, widespread adoption of mass timber in Maine faces two hurdles: there isn't yet a manufacturing facility in New England, and while converts are mul- tiplying, there isn't yet enough demand to support the cost of a manufacturing facility, which is estimated to be hun- dreds of millions of dollars. Wright-Ryan sourced the additional products it needed for the Katahdin project from New York-based Unalam, Nordic Structures in Montreal and from Mainely Trusses in Fairfield, a division of Hancock Lumber. ere are U.S. manufacturers — in Oregon, Montana, Arkansas, Texas, Wisconsin and Alabama — with dif- ferent specialties and capabilities. Becker favors products from Austria. "ey are so good at it," Becker says. "ey make super high quality prod- ucts with really high tolerances, so the components go together really well. And it's more cost effective to ship it from Austria than truck it from U.S. sources." Tonello is developing a prototype for a lamination process using wooden nails instead of glue, which he envi- sions could be produced in Maine, perhaps using existing capabilities. With the Portland Museum of Art project on the horizon, Bessire has been meeting with members of Maine's forest industry to promote mass timber pro- duction. Bessire has said he would like to use Maine wood for the project. "e dream is to have the wood sourced in Maine and have the grading and the milling, and to have plants here for CLT and glulam," Bessire said at a mass-timber conference hosted by the museum last year. "We love Maine and we want to build a new industry that uses Maine resources to create jobs for the next generation. Maine is the most heavily forested state in the country. "We need to figure out how to deal with these mill towns, how to make them lively and vibrant and to create excellent relationships between the rural and the urban." ornton Tomasetti's Becker says there are in fact several potential factory projects proposed for New England that are currently in the capital campaign phase, and he's optimistic that pro- duction of mass timber in our region is on the horizon. "It's a process, but we'll get there." Tina Fischer, Mainebiz staff writer, can be reached at tfischer @ mainebiz.biz » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Building Maine's LARGEST CLT PROJECT (Cross-Laminated Timber) Colby College Mayflower Hill Residence Hall MEMBER FDIC EQUAL HOUSING LENDER QUICK. SIMPLE. LOCAL. Home Equity Line of Credit All loans are subject to credit approval. Property insurance is required. Loan amounts from $10,000.00 to $500,000.00. 1) 4.99% Annual Percentage Rate (APR) effective 04/20/2025 is fixed for 6 months from closing date, at which time the APR will become variable at the Prime Lending Rate as quoted in The Wall Street Journal (7.50% as of 06/20/2025) plus or minus a margin based on the amount of your credit line. Prime is a variable rate; as it changes, the APR on your account will also change. APR will never exceed 18.00%. Stated APR is effective for line amounts between $10,000-$500,000 with an auto payment from a Katahdin Trust personal checking account. All Bank loan programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change at any time without notice. 2) First mortgage must be with Katahdin Trust to borrow up to 90% of home value. If not, maximum loan-to-value ratio is 80%. F I X E D F O R 6 M O N T H S B O R R O W U P T O 9 0 % 2 4.99 % APR 1 APPLY ONLINE TODAY! KatahdinTrust.com/Home-Equity At Colby College in Waterville, Landry/French Construction, of Scarborough, is building the Mayflower Hill residence hall — which will use mass timber. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F L A N D R Y / F R E N C H

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