Explore how mass timber can transform healthcare design—improving healing, sustainability, and performance in modern hospitals.

Healthcare buildings are among the most complex and resource-intensive structures we design and, increasingly, they are being asked to do more. Modern hospitals not only need to support healing for patients and staff, but also to contribute to planetary health by reducing carbon emissions and addressing social and environmental determinants of wellbeing. To meet these goals, hospital design must evolve beyond the “squeezed and standardized” approach that has long defined it.

Mass timber is emerging as a credible alternative to conventional systems for larger-scale, high-rise institutional buildings. Recent advancements in material science, manufacturing, engineering, and fire safety have made it possible to consider timber as a structural solution for complex facilities — including hospitals.

Recognizing that innovation in healthcare design must be evidence-based, this collaborative study explores the feasibility of using mass timber for a 200+ bed acute care hospital. The multidisciplinary team — including KPMB Architects, PHSA (Provincial Health Services Authority of BC), Fast + Epp, Smith + Andersen, Resource Planning Group, CHM Fire, Hanscomb, AMB Planning, and EllisDon — developed and evaluated a detailed test design for a mass timber inpatient tower suited to the Canadian context. The study examined structure, cost, schedule, lifecycle carbon, code compliance, infection control, and biophilic design as part of a holistic approach to sustainable healthcare infrastructure.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify the key drivers that influence structural system selection in healthcare building design.
• Describe the opportunities, limitations, and specific considerations associated with using mass timber in hospital environments.
• Summarize findings from an in-progress feasibility study for a mass timber inpatient tower in a Canadian acute care setting.
• Evaluate the comparative schedule, cost, and lifecycle carbon outcomes identified in the study, and discuss implications for future healthcare projects.