GAB Report event briefing

Mass Timber Tour: Bush Middle School

  • DateOct 1, 2026 · 3:00 pm GMT-0700
  • FormatIn Person
  • LocationSeattle, WA

About the event

This regional in-person jobsite tour offers a practical look at the construction of the new Bush Middle School facility in Seattle. The two-story, 24,000-square-foot educational project incorporates cross-laminated timber panels and glulam framing to deliver a biophilic, sustainable environment containing classrooms, administrative spaces, dining areas, and common spaces. Guided by project team members, participants examine connection detailing, code compliance strategies, structural integration, and jobsite coordination firsthand. The interactive format fosters open discussion about early mass timber design decisions, material efficiencies, and multi-trade execution.

What you’ll learn

  • Discuss typical construction practices for mass timber projects, including safety best practices, installation efficiency, and coordination with follow-on trades.
  • Highlight a variety of structural and architectural uses of CLT and glulam through an in-person tour of an under-construction project, highlighting the sustainable and biophilic benefits of wood for occupants and visitors.
  • Demonstrate connection detailing techniques used in code-compliant mass timber buildings to ensure appropriate structural capacity, fire resistance, and consideration of the project construction type.
  • Explain the diverse methods of project development and approaches used by the design team, including owners, contractors, architects, and engineers, to achieve a successful mass timber project.

Attendance notes

Meet outside the orange construction fencing or gate.


Keep exploring

More events worth your time

Sep 29

Virtual

BECC Webinar

This online session reviews field findings from the Behavior, Energy, Action and Research Hub launched by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. While behavioral scientists propose numerous concepts to encourage climate-friendly decisions, real-world adoption remains limited. Attendees will examine how practical…

Sep 29

Virtual

Early Design Decisions for Mass Timber Success

This regional online seminar from WoodWorks explores the essential early design choices needed to deliver cost-effective mass timber structures. Speaker Hamid Kaboli examines why applying traditional building approaches to non-commodity mass timber often creates unnecessary price premiums. Participants will examine how foundational…

Sep 30

Virtual

Realizing Mass Timber’s Benefits: Key Design Decisions and Carbon Analysis

This WoodWorks technical seminar explores critical early-stage design decisions necessary to avoid price premiums and optimize mass timber building projects. Using completed projects as case studies, the session addresses key considerations including construction types, structural fire ratings, column grids, panel spans, acoustics,…