The use of mass timber is steadily growing as rising construction costs push building developers toward more cost-effective materials, according to some Spokane area manufacturers and contractors.

Buildings constructed with mass timber tend to be erected faster and cheaper than buildings solely using other materials, such as steel, making it desirable for some projects on a tight budget, contends William Silva, national director of mass timber at Swinerton Builders, which has a presence in Spokane. Economic headwinds caused by tariffs and rising material costs are leading more developers to explore mass timber as a cost-saving strategy. 

“Spokane felt the economic softening that we've seen in the Northwest quicker than other places in the Northwest, but as we come out of this economic cycle, I foresee a lot more activity and a lot more mass timber projects in predesign,” says Silva.

Swinerton Builders has used mass timber products to erect new buildings for more than 10 years, Silva says. Mass timber material use has shifted from commercial office buildings to encompass more civic, educational, and industrial uses as traditional building material costs rise.

In 2026, Swinerton is involved in over 30 projects nationwide utilizing mass timber, Silva says.

In Spokane, Swinerton's mass timber projects include Spokane Falls Community College’s $42.2 million Fine and Applied Arts Building, completed in 2025. That project used structural mass timber components in conjunction with brick and other building materials.

A popular mass timber configuration, called cross-laminated timber, consists of several layers of kiln-dried lumber boards that are stacked in alternating directions, bonded with structural adhesives, and pressed to form a solid, straight, rectangular panel, says Nate Foster, director of project delivery and preconstruction at Mercer Mass Timber LLC. The prefabricated wood panels are then delivered to project sites and assembled.

The prefabricated components are installed by carpenters, adds Silva, adding that a project estimated to take 52 weeks using steel building materials can be completed 26 weeks faster with mass timber products. The material is best suited to large-scale developments and isn’t often used for single-family residences or smaller buildings, Silva says.

Mass timber is also used to meet environmental and energy usage goals, as the material is capable of insulating building interiors, reducing the need for heating and cooling systems, he notes.

“Some campuses and clients have set net-zero carbon by 2035 or 2050 goals for themselves, and so the fact that mass timber sequesters carbon can add to the discussion,” he says. “Mass timber structures also work better with high-performance envelopes, so net-zero energy projects start to be possible.”

Silva declines to disclose specific project or material costs.

Mercer Mass Timber, a mass timber manufacturer operating a facility at 19202 E. Garland, in Spokane, is a subsidiary of Vancouver, British Columbia-based Mercer International Inc., a global producer of mass pulp and solid wood products with mills in Canada, Germany, and Australia. The Spokane Valley facility was acquired in 2021 for $50 million from Katerra Inc. after Katerra filed for bankruptcy and laid off its staff.

Mercer's Spokane Valley-based factory produces cross-laminated timber products for construction projects nationwide, Foster says. Since the beginning of 2026, the factory has increased its mass timber output by 50%, though that figure isn’t reflective of the amount of product being used in Spokane County specifically, he adds.

“We're optimistic that growth will continue, and we're hopeful that different geopolitical items and construction growth will help drive that as well,” says Foster.

Mercer Mass Timber sources materials from lumber mills operating as close to Spokane as possible to avoid tariffs, he says, noting that recent Inland Northwest wildfires haven’t had an impact on the company’s manufacturing ability.

Projects that incorporate mass timber in the Spokane area include the Catalyst Building, a five-story, 159,000-square-foot educational and commercial building at 601 E. Riverside, developed by Seattle-based designer and builder McKinstry Co. in 2020.

More recently, Mercer Mass Timber was involved in the making of timber products for a $5.7 million renovation project at True Hope Church in Spokane, at 1316 N. Lincoln, says Foster. Prefabricated mass timber components make up part of the new 19,000-square-foot assembly and worship area’s superstructure, he says. Work began in January 2026, and is expected to be completed in January 2027.

Silva says he expects mass timber usage to increase as more markets adopt the material in the future.

“As different market sectors cycle in, mass timber is very much going to be a solution for clients,” he says. “Especially as costs for steel increase, mass timber is poised to be an economic win.”