Principal Benton Johnson spoke at the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) on the “Talking Timber: Designing Future Cities in Wood.” His presentation focused on the benefits and techniques of mass timber construction for the COB3 office building in San Mateo, California, and Billie Jean King Library in Long Beach. A part of the Talking Timber lecture series, the event was organized in conjunction with the CAC’s mass timber exhibition, Reframed: The Future of Cities in Wood. 

This program emphasized tall timber, entire urban districts rendered in wood, and the research and educational investment necessary for growing the sector in North America and bringing timber construction to the masses. The panel explored questions of supply and demand, how to design more livable cities, and the potential of mass timber for tackling our global housing and climate crises.

This event is part of the Talking Timber lecture series, organized in conjunction with the Chicago Architecture Center’s mass timber exhibition, Reframed: The Future of Cities in Wood. The exhibition and lecture series are presented by the Softwood Lumber Board and created in partnership with the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.