Combining Mass Timber with Modularity – Seattle-based Forterra wants to reimagine affordable housing by using responsibly harvested mass timber and modular construction.

Amid a national housing-shortage crisis, few states have it worse than Washington. The State of Washington’s housing gap ranks as the fifth largest in the country, with a deficit of 140,000 housing units, according to a 2022 report by Up for Growth.

Forterra, a Seattle-based land-conservation nonprofit, wants to help change that. Forterra’s Forest to Home initiative aims to reimagine the affordable housing supply chain—by combining responsibly harvested mass timber with modular construction. 

Affordable housing with mass timber – A 2022 finalist for the Ivory Prize, which recognizes affordable-housing solutions, Forest to Home proposes an ecosystem of sustainable, working forest lands; rural towns that produce mass timber; and cities that use the engineered wood to create efficient, affordable housing. Forest to Home also involves a limited equity coop financing structure—which would alleviate the initial financial burden for homebuyers while keeping the homes affordable for future homeowners, says Michelle Connor, president and CEO, Forterra.

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