SEAoT Houston June 2025 Meeting

THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2025

11:30 AM : Social

11:45 AM : Lunch

12:00 PM : Presentation Program

1:00 PM   : Event Ends

Amenities Hall, 3700 W Sam Houston Pkwy S, Houston, TX 77042 

Tel: +1 713 266 6900

Topic: Early Design Decisions: Priming Mass Timber Projects for Success (1.0 PDH)

Presenters:  Mark Bartlett, PE 

Abstract: 

Mass timber is a unique, non-commodity building material and, to lay the groundwork for success, certain critical decisions must be made as early as possible. These decisions can have a big impact on cost and can either increase or limit opportunities later in design. There are many cases of project teams that want to realize the full benefits of mass timber, but, because they base their designs on traditional building practices instead of optimizing them for mass timber, end up with avoidable price premiums. This presentation will walk through early project decisions and design steps, focusing on how to optimize projects for mass timber and how one early decision can influence others. Topics will include construction types, fire ratings, column grids and beam/panel spans, acoustics, and MEP integration. Completed mass timber projects will be used to illustrate the variety of viable options when navigating these key decisions.

Image Source: https://www.woodworks.org/award-gallery/mystic-creek-clubhouse/

Bios: 

Mark Bartlett is the Texas Regional Director for WoodWorks, a non-profit organization that provides free project support for commercial and multi-family wood buildings, a robust nationwide education program, and a wide range of published resources.  Before joining WoodWorks in 2017, Mark spent 11 years as a practicing structural engineer, eight years as a field engineer with Simpson Strong-Tie, and six years in engineering business development.  He is a registered professional engineer in Texas and Oklahoma.  Mark received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in structures from Lehigh University.

REGISTRATION NOTE:

Please register to save your place, then visit Houston Chapter Payments, select the appropriate option, and click "Buy Now".

Registration closes 24 hours before the meeting. Walk-in registration accepted if seats/plates available.