Skip to Main Content
U.S. Forest Service
Caring for the land and serving people
Caring for the land and serving people
United States Department of Agriculture
-
Life-cycle cost analysis of a mass-timber building: methodology and hypothetical case study
Author(s): Shaobo Liang; Hongmei Gu; Ted Bilek; Richard Bergman
Date: 2019
Source: Res. Paper FPL-RP-702. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory: 1-11.
Publication Series: Research Paper (RP)
Station: Forest Products Laboratory
PDF: Download Publication (1.0 MB)Description
The use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) as a building material is gaining popularity in the North American building sector, especially in mid- to high-rise building designs. This study presents the methodology of life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) and an example of a hypothetical case study in Portland, Oregon, USA, of a CLT mass timber building compared with a baseline code-compliant concrete alternative. It was found, not unexpectedly, that the mass timber building with premium energy and water saving designs exhibited a lower total life-cycle cost (TLCC) than a concrete building for a 60-year study period under provided research assumptions and limitations. The construction cost dominated the TLCCs for both buildings. Little to no historical construction and operational data exist for mass timber buildings in North America, which made this analysis limited for generalizing the results. However, a solid methodology was established for future LCCA on mass timber buildings, and cost-specific data will be implemented when the information becomes available.Publication Notes
- We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
- This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.
Citation
Liang, Shaobo; Gu, Hongmei; Bilek, Ted; Bergman, Richard. 2019. Life-cycle cost analysis of a mass-timber building: methodology and hypothetical case study. Res. Paper FPL-RP-702. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory: 1-11.Keywords
Cross-laminated timber, life-cycle cost analysis, mass timber building, sensitivity analysisRelated Search
- Comparative life-cycle assessment of a mass timber building and concrete alternative
- Regional and net economic impacts of high-rise mass timber construction in Oregon
- Life cycle assessment and environmental building declaration for the design building at the University of Massachusetts
XML: View XML
Show More
Show Fewer
https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/59128