About The Conference

Accommodations

Agenda

Speakers

Sponsors

Advance registration is closed. Day-of Registration will be available 8–9 a.m. each day of the conference.

Agenda

Field Trips

Timber Talks

Committee

HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT

Inspirational “Timber Talks”: Immerse yourself in thought-provoking presentations from pioneers, change makers, and visionaries. Gain insights into the latest advancements, innovations, impacts, and real-world applications shaping the future of sustainable construction.

Engaging Keynotes and Signature Lectures: Enter the world of mass timber with informative signature lectures, covering environmental benefits and economic opportunities for Maine and the Northeast. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a curious newcomer, there’s something for everyone to learn and explore.

Dynamic Discussions: Connect with fellow attendees and industry leaders in lively discussions exploring the key issues and trends driving the mass timber movement forward. Exchange ideas, share experiences, and collaborate on solutions to the challenges facing sustainable construction today.

Enlightening Field Trips: Embark on thought-provoking and eye-opening field trips to local mass timber projects, forest show stands, and manufacturing facilities. Get an up-close look at innovative buildings, sustainable forestry practices, and state-of-the-art production processes, guided by experts who are shaping the future of architecture and construction.

WHY IS AN ART MUSEUM HOSTING A MASS TIMBER CONFERENCE?

An art museum is an ideal host for a mass timber conference because art has a unique power to unite people around complex and forward-thinking ideas. Art transcends traditional boundaries, creating a space where conversations about innovation, industry, and impact can flourish. By bringing diverse perspectives together in a cultural setting, the Portland Museum of Art is fostering a dialogue that blends creativity with sustainability, helping to shape the future of architecture and construction. This approach aligns with the museum’s mission to inspire and engage the community in meaningful ways, making it a natural venue for such an important discussion.

In addition, the Portland Museum of Art is at the forefront of a movement to spark a mass timber economy in Maine. Recently awarded $300,000 by the USDA for The PMA Blueprint, and a $2 million Federal Grant to support mass timber construction, the PMA’s sustainable campus expansion and unification project in collaboration with LEVER Architecture is dedicated to spurring industry and supporting the State of Maine.

Agenda

Wednesday, November 13

Trips will embark from the Portland Museum of Art (7 Congress Square)

FIELD TRIP 1— Wood/Mass Timber R&D and Product Innovations
Check-in begins: 7:45 a.m.
Departure Time: 8 a.m.
Arrive back at the PMA: 4:30 p.m.

FIELD TRIP 2—Mass Timber Buildings & Prefabrication
Check-in begins: 7:45 a.m.
Departure Time: 8 a.m.
Arrive back at the PMA: 4 p.m.

FIELD TRIP 3—Portland Area Taste of Timber
Check-in begins: 8:30 a.m.
Departure Time: 9 a.m.
Arrive back at the PMA: 4 p.m.

All attendees must wear sturdy, closed-toed shoes and long pants because we will be visiting forests and active manufacturing sites. All three trips are happening simultaneously and, due to distance, we cannot facilitate attendees moving between trips.

*Field trip seats are purchased as add-ons to conference passes and are only available to conference attendees with a Full-Day or One-Day pass to the conference.

Paul Dougherty (United States, 1877–1947), Ship Building at Bath, Maine (Kennebec Ship Yard) (detail), 1917–1918, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Gift of Mrs. Carleton S. Coon, 1979.7

Thursday, November 14

University of Southern Maine; Abromson Community Education Center

8 to 9 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast

9 to 10:25 a.m.
Timber Talks

10:25 a.m.
Stretch Break with Refreshments

10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Timber Talks

12:30 to 1:45 p.m.
Lunch

1:45 to 2:45 p.m.
Afternoon Workshops based around the morning’s Timber Talk themes

2:45 p.m.
Afternoon Break with Refreshments

3:05 p.m.
Keynote: Alan Organschi (Principal & Partner, GOA Architecture)

4 p.m.
Conference Day One Ends

5 to 6:30 p.m.
Conference Welcome Reception hosted at the Portland Museum of Art

Newell Convers Wyeth (United States, 1882–1945), Georges Islands, Penobscot Bay, Maine, 1928–1929, oil on canvas, 42 3/16 x 48 1/8 inches. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Anonymous gift, 1984.63. Image courtesy Luc Demers

Friday, November 15

University of Southern Maine; Abromson Community Education Center

8 to 9 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast

8 to 9 a.m.
Women in Timber Continental Breakfast

9:20 to 10:20 am
Keynote: Peter MacKeith (Dean and Professor, Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas)

10:20 a.m.
Break

10:45 to 11:35 a.m.
Keynote: Heather Johnson (Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, State of Maine)

11:35 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Lunch

1:30 to 3:00 p.m.
Bernard Osher Lecture featuring experts in the field of Mass Timber

Tickets

George Frederick Morse (United States, 1834–1926), Delano Woods(detail), 1856–1915, oil on canvas, 20 x 14 inches. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Gift of Mrs. George F. Morse in memory of her husband, 1928.2

Mass Timber in Action Field Trips

Field Trip 1: Wood/Mass Timber R&D and Product Innovations

This bus trip will visit research and innovation sites in Maine. Our first stop is a tour of The University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC) in Orono, a world-leading, interdisciplinary center for research, education, and economic development encompassing material sciences, advanced manufacturing, and engineering of composites and structures. As part of the tour, attendees will hear about research making Maine and New England more competitive in the mass timber arena, see the new wood fiber insulation pilot line and visit BioHome3D, the first 3D-printed house made entirely with bio-based, recyclable materials. Our next visit will be to TimberHP in Madison, manufacturer of high-performing wood fiber insulation. Manufactured domestically at their factory in Maine, TimberHP supports the working landscape, sustainable forestry, and Maine’s rural economy. Trip departs from and returns to Portland Museum of Art with a light breakfast and a boxed lunch provided. The bus ride is approximately 2.5 hours from Portland.

Field Trip 2: Mass Timber Buildings & Prefabrication

Spend the day on the midcoast of Maine with visits to mass timber construction buildings; Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum at Bowdoin College and The Ellis-Beauregard Foundation in Rockland. Learn about sustainable and affordable mass timber design at OPAL Build in Belfast. OPAL Build is a B2B construction start-up creating the next generation of sustainable, cost-competitive mass timber housing to meet the current housing shortage. Bus trip departs from and returns to Portland Museum of Art with a light breakfast and a boxed lunch provided. The bus ride is approximately 2.5 hours from Portland.

Field Trip 3: Portland Area Taste of Timber

Visit sites within the greater Portland area starting with a tour about sustainable forest management at the New England Forestry Foundation’s Arnold Family Forest in Freeport. We will then visit examples of mass timber construction at 317 Main in Yarmouth and the Patrons Oxford Insurance Building in Portland. The day will be topped off with a tour of the Portland Museum of Art’s Winslow Homer Studio on Prouts Neck. Trip departs from and returns to Portland Museum of Art with light breakfast and lunch provided.

Field trip seats are purchased as add-ons to conference passes and are only available to conference attendees with a Full-Day or One-Day pass to the conference.

All trips will embark from the Portland Museum of Art (7 Congress Square), and attendees must wear sturdy, closed-toed shoes and long pants because we will be visiting forests and active manufacturing sites. Due to distance, we cannot facilitate attendees moving between trips or needing to return early. Please reach out to theMass Timber Conference Planning Teamif you have questions regarding accessibility.

Speaker Line Up

Timber Talks

Immerse yourself in an incredible line-up of thought-provoking presentations from pioneers, change makers, and visionaries. Gain insights into the latest advancements, innovations, impacts, and real-world applications shaping the future of sustainable construction.

Amelia Baxter
Co-founder and CEO, WholeTrees Architecture and Structures

Mark H.C. Bessire
Judy and Leonard Lauder Director, Portland Museum of Art

Yellow Light Breen
President and CEO, Maine Development Foundation

Dennis Carlberg
Chief Sustainability Officer & Associate Vice President for
Climate Action, Boston University

Tom S. Chung
Principal, Leers Weinzpafel Associates

Sophie Davis and Luke Fatora
Artistic Directors, Halcyon

Matt DeLaney
Library Director, Jesup Memorial Library

Pamela Franks and Devon Nowlin
Director, Williams College Museum of Art
Museum Project Director, Williams College Museum of Art

Kathleen Kolb and Verandah Porche
Authors of Shedding Light on the Working Forest

Chandra Robinson
Principal, LEVER Architecture

Lucas St. Clair
President, Elliotsville Foundation, Inc.

Keynote Speakers

Heather Johnson
Commissioner, Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Governor for the State of Maine

Peter B. MacKeith
Dean and Professor of Architecture, Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design

Alan Organschi
Principal & Partner, GOA Architecture

Tickets

Signature Events

Hosted by the Portland Museum of Art, November 14, 2024 | 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.

Please join us for a reception at the Portland Museum of Art with access to our American Art and Contemporary and Modern galleries. Attendees will each receive a drink ticket and free hors d’oeuvres.

About the Portland Museum of Art

With an extensive collection and nationally renowned exhibitions, the Portland Museum of Art is the cultural heart of Portland, Maine. The PMA collection includes significant holdings of American, European, and contemporary art, as well as iconic works from Maine—highlighting the rich artistic tradition of the state and its artists. The museum brings it all to life with unparalleled programming. From special members events, Free School Tours, and a commitment to family activities, PMA Films, curator talks, and tours of the Winslow Homer Studio—it’s all happening at the PMA. In 2022, sparked by the current growth of the collection, record attendance, and community feedback, the museum launched The PMA Blueprint: Building a Landmark for the Future, a $100M campus expansion and unification project that will more than double the size of the PMA’s campus as well as the museum’s economic impact throughout the region. Designed by LEVER Architecture, a new mass timber landmark building will be a pillar of sustainable design and a catalyst for climate-safe construction in Maine.

This event is generously supported by MaineHealth.

Parking will be available at the MaineHealth parking lot on Free Street courtesy of MaineHealth

November 15, 2024 | 8 to 9 a.m.

The Women in Timber breakfast is designed to make space for women who have interest in Mass Timber as a place to connect with peers, share resources, and build relationships without agenda. Empowering women to bring forward and advocate their achievements, influence, and areas of growth to create new pathways with this novel material through cultivation, use and installation, as opportunities in art, design, engineering, and construction. We envision strengthening and spotlighting how Mass Timber is opening new avenues for women to create inspiration in their areas of interest. Brief remarks will be shared by our invited women speakers.

Free for all Free for Mass Timber Maine Conference attendees and students with valid ID; tickets for non-conference attendees are $25 and while space is available.

This event is generously supported byWholeTrees Structures.

November 15, 2024 | 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

2024 Bernard Osher Lecture: From Forest to Framework: The Journey of Mass Timber

Join us for this year’s Bernard Osher Lecture, and hear from experts along the forestry supply chain, from logging through architecture, as they discuss mass timber and its impacts in construction and Maine.

Panel Speakers

  • Jason Brochu, Co-President, Pleasent River Lumber
  • Dana Doran, Executive Director, Professional Logging Contractors Northeast
  • Thomas Robinson, Founding Principal, LEVER Architecture
  • Jen Shakun, Bioeconomy Initiative Director, New England Forestry Foundation
  • Ben Stevens, Forest Manager, Penobscot Nation Forestry Program

Moderated by Matt Tonello, Project Executive, Consigli Construction Company, Inc

Registrationfor this lecture is separate from the conference.

Free for all Free for Mass Timber Maine Conference attendees, PMA Members, and Students with Valid ID; tickets are $15 for the public

The annual Bernard Osher Lecture Seriesis made possible by the Peggy and Harold Osher Endowment at the Portland Museum of Art.

Tickets for all signature events are included in the Full General Admission Pass and Nonprofit/Government Pass. All other pass options have the option to purchase Signature Event tickets if they are not included in their pass option.

Tickets

Mass Timber Maine Conference Planning Committee

Andy Lilienthal — PMA Trustee, Committee Chair

Tae Chong— PMA Trustee

Tom S. Chung — Principal, Leers Weinzapfel Associates

Thomas Robinson— Founding Principal, LEVER Architecture

Joe Short Vice President, Northern Forest Center

Jen Shakun — Bioeconomy Initiative Director, New England Forestry Foundation