______________________________________________________________________________________________ Vaagen
Timbers
What we see with the rise of AI and the rapid development of data centers is a substantial move toward mass timber structures
Russ then concludes, highlighting what’ s in store for Vaagen Timbers in the years to come:“ In the next five years, I expect awareness to be much greater as people will have interacted with many more buildings constructed with these materials and methods. We’ ve built a lot of schools and banks that communities will engage with. Seeing people react to the buildings is amazing because people love them. It’ s not often you see someone gravitating toward a concrete column, wanting to touch it. But if you have a nice, smooth, beautiful piece of wood, people will, because there is that connection to life. This will lead to greater adoption of these products and projects.
“ Over that time, we will also be building larger and larger projects, which will lead to growth for ourselves and the industry. In ten years’ time, though, I foresee a situation where mass timber is regarded on par with steel and concrete. Wood is one-fifth the weight of concrete but offers the same structural support. You can build nearly identical buildings with substantially less weight. This carries cost savings across the entire project, particularly in the transportation of materials. As these processes and materials become more established in the industry, I think we will see enormous opportunities open up.” ■
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