GAB Report event briefing

Early Design Decisions for Mass Timber Success & Saddleback ATEP Tour

  • DateOct 1, 2026 · 12:00 pm GMT-0700
  • FormatIn Person
  • LocationTustin, CA

About the event

This regional in-person program combines a technical seminar with a guided building walkthrough at Saddleback College at ATEP in Tustin, California. The educational presentation covers early design decisions required for mass timber construction, such as construction type classification, fire resistance strategies, structural grid layouts, beam and panel spans, acoustics, connection details, and MEP coordination. Following the technical talk, participants tour the two-story, 50,000-square-foot mass timber higher education building alongside members of the project team to evaluate how design choices translate to real-world constructability, code compliance, and performance.

What you’ll learn

  • Identify the International Building Code construction types that permit mass timber and evaluate how early decisions regarding construction type, fire-resistance ratings, structural grids, and member spans influence code compliance, project cost, and constructability.
  • Explain strategies for integrating structural systems, MEP services, acoustics, and connection detailing in mass timber buildings to satisfy performance, fire-resistance, and occupant comfort requirements while supporting future building flexibility.
  • Describe construction sequencing, installation practices, and multidisciplinary coordination techniques that contribute to the safe, efficient, and successful execution of mass timber projects.
  • Evaluate how the design and construction strategies implemented in Saddleback College’s mass timber campus addition addressed structural, fire, architectural, and constructability challenges.

Attendance notes

Parking costs $5 per day with three payment methods available: scanning a QR code, texting a number, or paying at a machine that prints a paper ticket. Campus policy requires vehicles to park head-in, and the lot is monitored by IVC campus police.


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