GAB Report event briefing

Mid-Rise Wood Design: Light-Frame and Mass Timber Strategies

  • DateOct 27, 2026 · 11:30 am GMT-0500
  • FormatVirtual
  • LocationTX

About the event

This regional online seminar examines code-compliant design pathways for mid-rise wood construction, comparing light-frame methods with mass timber structural systems. Attendees will explore how occupancy, construction type, height, and area requirements dictate system selection. The presentation outlines practical techniques to maximize light-frame building size through sprinklers, open frontage, podiums, mezzanines, and sloping sites. For mass timber projects, the session addresses structural grid layouts, fire-resistance ratings, and lateral-force-resisting systems. Real-world built examples illustrate how early technical choices achieve safe, efficient, and cost-effective mid-rise structures.

What you’ll learn

  • Identify different wood systems that can be used for mid-rise construction and how construction type, occupancy, height, and area influence the selection of a safe and code-compliant wood structural system.
  • Apply code provisions for construction type, allowable height and area, sprinklers, open frontage, sloping sites, podiums, and mezzanines to maximize the potential of light-frame wood construction while maintaining required life-safety protections.
  • Evaluate key mass timber design considerations including structural grid, fire-resistance ratings, and lateral-force-resisting systems and their influence on structural performance, fire safety, and occupant welfare.
  • Review built projects to understand how code provisions and early design decisions can be integrated to achieve safe, efficient, and cost-effective mid-rise buildings.

Attendance notes

WoodWorks will send each attendee a certificate of completion within 2 weeks via email. Attendees must stay for the duration of the event to receive a certificate.


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