What is Mass Timber?
Mass timber refers to a family of engineered wood-based structural building materials that use large-format, prefabricated solid or engineered wood elements as primary load-bearing components. These elements –which include both multilayered panels and structural members – are typically used for floors, roofs, and walls and are prized for their strength, sustainability, and aesthetic appeal. Common mass timber products include Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), Glued Laminated Timber (glulam), Nail-Laminated Timber (NLT), Dowel-Laminated Timber (DLT), Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), and others. In the case of panel-type mass timber products such as CLT, NLT, and DLT, layers of solid wood pieces are mechanically fastened or bonded with adhesives to form strong, dimensionally stable flat panels suitable for large-scale use in floors and walls.
Benefits of Mass Timber
● Sustainability level and carbon footprint: wood acts as a carbon sink by storing CO₂ throughout its useful life, and its environmental impact is significantly lower compared to more conventional materials such as concrete or steel. Illegal logging, though, is still a very relevant issue, particularly in Latin America. By 2021, Interpol estimated that illicitly harvested timber would represent around 15–30% of the global market, and given the region’s record, it can be safely assumed that Latin America’s share is even higher. In the same manner, however, it can be stated that companies in the mass timber sector are on the front line of innovation, and the highest level of best practices can be expected.
● Prefabrication, construction speed, and clean assembly: The in-factory production of structures from mass timber allows for quick, clean assembly with minimal waste generation, significantly reducing construction time.
● Lightweight and structural efficiency: It is a remarkably lightweight material in relation to its mechanical strength. This feature reduces loads on foundations and facilitates both transport and assembly, optimizing the overall logistics of the project.
● Architectural versatility: Mass timber allows for wide spans, multiple volumetric configurations, and a warm aesthetic that can be exposed or combined with other construction systems. It is suitable for homes, mid-rise buildings, facilities, and extensions.
● Fire safety: Although it may seem counterintuitive, the behavior of solid wood in fire is highly predictable. Sections char superficially, forming a protective layer that slows the loss of strength. In terms of certification, cross-laminated timber can achieve predictable high fire resistance ratings (through charring or passive protection methods).
Recent Advancements in Mass Timber Industry
The mass timber industry has experienced rapid innovation globally, advancing material science, design methods, and construction techniques that enhance the applicability, performance, and sustainability of timber structures. Recent developments include higher precision in lamination and adhesive technologies that improve strength, durability, and ease of application.
The strongest indicator of the industry’s maturity is the Ascent building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, now the world’s tallest and largest mass timber structure. With 25 floors and a height of 86.6 meters (284 feet), it has 259 residential apartments with a gross floor area of around 493,000 square feet (45,800 square meters). Thornton Tomasetti provided structural engineering for this project, which was designed by Korb + Associates Architects. Cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels and glulam beams make up the majority of the building’s frame, which is a hybrid structure with a concrete base, elevator, and stair shafts.
This type of construction is, in fact, the direction being taken by the largest mass timber projects, where mass timber elements are combined with other materials such as reinforced concrete and steel. These hybrid systems harness the best of each material. Combining CLT panels with concrete cores or steel frames allows taller buildings while achieving improved sustainability performance and carbon benefits. Research and projects experimenting with glue-free mechanical connectors and hybrid timber-concrete diaphragms are expanding design flexibility and accelerating adoption in mid-to-high rise buildings.
Moreover, advancements in adhesives, including more environmentally friendly formulations and research on moisture resistance in structures, have broadened product reliability and application contexts. Modular mass timber construction, incorporating automated CNC machining of complex joinery and standardized connectors, continues to revolutionize construction speed and minimize waste.
Mass Timber Construction in Latin America: Overview
Mass timber development in Latin America remains primarily on a project-by-project basis and is mostly concentrated in premium segments, led by architects, design firms, and real estate developers. This reflects broader structural barriers, including limited industrial capacity for engineered-wood products, higher costs compared to traditional construction systems, and the absence of standardized approval pathways continue to restrict large-scale adoption.
Additionally, cultural perception is gradually shifting. Although timber construction has not yet been widely adopted in large markets, it is increasingly moving away from its association with temporary or low-quality material, and interest in industrialized and prefabricated systems is steadily growing. New lamination technologies from more mature markets are entering the region, while local producers are developing techniques to work effectively with native species. These developments are contributing to a gradual cultural shift, as architects, developers, and policymakers become more aware of the efficiency, speed, and low-carbon advantages offered by timber construction.
However, several structural barriers continue to limit scalability. The region faces insufficient structural-grading systems, fragmented and slow-moving regulations, and a shortage of trained professionals across the value chain. These gaps reinforce the dominance of concrete and steel, which remain more cost-competitive, institutionally supported and with a workforce used for brick-and-mortar related crafts. As a result, large-scale engineered-wood production is concentrated in only a handful of companies, restricting broader market adoption.
Progress across the region is uneven. Some countries such as Chile and Uruguay have advanced the fastest, supported by updated regulations and public programs that actively promote timber in public and social buildings. Other countries—such as Argentina and Mexico—are progressing more gradually through academic research, pilot projects, and early experimentation, with notable advances in wood-frame and SIP panels construction. Meanwhile, Brazil’s private sector is accelerating the development of mass-timber projects, even as regulatory and industrial challenges persist. The region’s significant housing deficit, affecting approximately 45% of households (BID, 2023), adds urgency and underscores the need for scalable, industrialized, and more sustainable construction alternatives.
Overall, Latin America stands at a pivotal moment: the region has both natural resources and a clear demand for faster and more sustainable construction systems. Despite ongoing challenges, the transition is strengthening, and timber is increasingly recognized as a strategic material for more sustainable and efficient buildings in the years ahead.
Mass Timber Projects in Latin America
In the table below, we present a compilation of mass timber projects in the region, listed by country, and highlighting the surface area -where available-, date of construction or project phase, builder and architectural studio.
| Country | Project Name | Surface Area (m²) | Building Company | Architect / Design Studio | Year of Construction / Project phase |
| Argentina | SITSA (Grupo Fonte) corporate office — first CLT office in Argentina (Villa María, Córdoba) | 204 m² | Kaiasul Wood | Alejandro Leyton (Kaiasul Wood) | Completed / reported 2019–2020 |
| Brazil | Arvoredo | 390-466 m² | Noah Tech (contractor and owner) | Grupo SP Arquitetos. Urbem (mass timber engineer / manufacturer) | 2025 (under construction) |
| Brazil | Casa Eli (within Casas Elilula) | 600 m² | N/D | Elisa Commanay & Romain Conti-Granteral | 2024 |
| Brazil | Dengo Chocolates Concept Store (São Paulo) | ~1,500 m² (reported) | Rewood (wood suppliers and assembly) | Matheus Farah & Manoel Maia (MFMM Arquitetura) | 2020 |
| Brazil | Open Mall Praça Pitiguari | 7,000 m² | Timbau Estruturas / Urbem | Todescan & Siciliano | 2025 |
| Brazil | Children’s Village (Aldeia Infantil) (Formoso do Araguaia) | 23,344 m² | Ita Construtora | Aleph Zero / Rosenbaum | Completed 2017 |
| Brazil | Santa Cruz College (São Paulo) | 3,475 m² | Libercon | N/D | Completed 2025 |
| Chile | Oficinas E2E (Maipú) | 315 m² | E2E | 57STUDIO | Completed 2019 |
| Chile | Proyecto “Tamango” (Coyhaique) tallest Project CLT building in LatAm | ~19,700 m² | N/D | Tallwood Architects (Architects Gerardo Armanet & Juan José Ugarte project team) (lead). | N/D |
| Chile | Paso Cardenal Samoré Border Station | 1,400 m² | N/D | Ennead Architects | 2022 |
| Colombia | Bloque M Experimental (Bogotá) | 4 floors on a 90 m² space | N/D | Diego Velandia Rayo (architect) | 2021 |
| Mexico | El Jardín Anatole | 940 m² | Structural engineering: Óscar Trejo, Sergio López
Construction engineers: Cimera, B + L Arq & Design, Vigalam |
Dellekamp Schleich | 2023 / 2022 |
| Mexico | Lyncott Office Building (Santiago de Querétaro) | 1,012 m² | N/D | PPAA (Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados) | 2024 |
| Mexico | Rothoblaas Mexico (expansion) | N/D | Riparia Mex | Rothoblaas | 2024 |
| Mexico | Parral Building Ciudad de Mexico | 1,400 m² | N/D | Taller Héctor Barroso | 2023 |
| Mexico | Clubhouse Valle San Nicolás (Valle de Bravo, Mexico) | 1,800 m² | N/D | Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos | 2021 |
| Peru | Espacio Libertad Alianza Francesa | N/D | Masslam / Lamitec | K+M Arquitectura (Ingeniería: Holspack / FHS Ltda Chile) | 2022 |
| Uruguay | CLT House (San Nicolás) | 500 m² | Enkel | Dovat Arquitectos | 2022 |
| Uruguay | Concurso de vivienda social (ANV&MVOT): Durazno. Tallest wooden CLT project in Uruguay | 1,945 m² | Enkel Group (Executive project and constructor) | Enkel architecture studio
Dovat Arquitectos
|
2023 Executive project phase, N/D |
| Uruguay | VIK hotel (José Ignacio) — first multi-level CLT building in the region | ~1,800 m² (approx. total) | Enkel Group | Enkel Group | December 2018 |
| Uruguay | Moorlands School (Canelones, Uruguay) | 1,830 m² | Enkel Group – (developer/constructor) | Gómez Platero Architecture and Urbanism | Completed 2024/2025 |
| Uruguay | The Garzon School | 2,023 m² | Enkel Group – (developer/constructor) | Rosan Bosch Studio (DK), Enkel Group (local studio) | Completed 2025 |
| Uruguay | Museo MACA | 5,000 m² | Engineering: Oak Ingeniería; Material supply: Urufor, Simonin; Construction: Atchugarry | Carlos Ott | 2022 |
N/D = No data
Mass Timber in Argentina
The adoption of Mass Timber -Particularly CLT- in Argentina remains slow despite the country’s vast territory, with 1.3 million hectares of fast-growing forest plantations, and strong engineering and architectural expertise. The main barrier is regulatory, alongside the need for expanded professional training and stronger public acceptance in a market historically dominated by concrete and brick. Current regulation recognizes only wood-frame construction as an approved system, leaving engineered timber systems outside formal approval pathways. For the past five years, INTA (the national regulatory body in these topics, among others) and the company NOVAK CLT have worked to standardize the product, using timber from sustainably managed forests. Yet NOVAK CLT seems to be the only producer in the country, and limited industrial infrastructure raises costs, often forcing reliance on imports.
As a result, progress is driven primarily by private actors, with regions such as Northern Patagonia already demonstrating cases where timber construction (with SIP panels) outperforms conventional masonry in speed, performance, and efficiency.
Still, Argentina is entering a promising new phase. With abundant forest resources and growing demand for fast and more industrialized housing solutions the country can position itself strongly in the region and fully unlock the potential of its forestry and timber-construction ecosystem.
Mass Timber in Brazil
Brazil is rapidly expanding mass timber capacity with companies like Urbem producing CLT and glulam panels from certified plantations with projects across São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Bahia. Current estimates suggest that over 100 mass-timber buildings have been completed or are underway in Brazil (from homes to commercial builds). Urbem’s commercial projects include the Open Mall Praça Pitiguari, Latin America’s largest mass timber project with around 7,000 square meters. Rewood specializes in glulam and contributed to the pioneering Dengo Store—the first large-scale CLT structure in São Paulo. The Brazilian Association of Mechanically Processed Timber (ABIMCI) supports industry standards and growth.
Brazil’s natural resource base reinforces this momentum. The country has approximately 60% of its territory covered by forests, and 1.2% of that area consists of industrial plantations. These fast-growing species are well-suited for engineered wood products and provide a strong long-term supply for Brazil’s CLT and glulam industries. Regulatory progress—such as the revision of NBR 7190, aligned with Eurocode 5, and new fire safety protocols for public buildings based on North American codes—has strengthened technical feasibility and broadened design possibilities for timber construction.
Despite these advances, important challenges persist. Mass timber elements such as CLT remain more expensive than concrete, largely due to limited production scale. A key positive trend is that cultural perception is slowly changing as architects, developers, and multinational companies increasingly integrate timber into their sustainability and ESG strategies.
Mass Timber in Chile
Chile is widely recognized as Latin America’s most advanced ecosystem for timber construction. Its developed forestry sector, supported by industrial plantations covering about 3% of the total forest area, combined with strong academic leadership from institutions such as CIM UC (Centro UC de Innovación en Madera), the Universidad del Bío-Bío, and CORFO (Corporation for the Promotion of Production), and consistent public policies have positioned the country as a regional reference of mass timber innovation.
Chile also stands out for its industrial capacity and pioneering projects. Several companies lead the way in mass timber manufacturing, wood-frame systems, and hybrid construction approaches. A notable example is the Tamango Building, the first 10–12-story mass-timber project with granted full building permits. Modular housing companies such as Patagual Home further expand the sector by delivering prefabricated solutions for social and middle-income housing.
Public policy has been equally instrumental. Changes in regulation in 2023 (NCh2165:2023) simplified design and widened the options of allowed products, while government programs promoting industrialized housing have facilitated the adoption of timber in public and social buildings.
Challenges remain—particularly the need to update seismic and fire-safety regulations more quickly, and expand the pool of trained engineers, architects, technicians, and inspectors. Nonetheless, Chile continues to stand as a regional benchmark. Its combination of industrial capacity with a certified and solid forestry base, strong research, and consistent public policy -enabling public-private collaboration- places it in a unique position to export knowledge, technology, and prefabricated timber solutions to neighboring countries.
Mass Timber in Mexico
Mexico has one of the most diverse and extensive forest resources in Latin America—over 138 million hectares and more than 350 usable wood species; even so, the timber construction industry remains at an early stage and still relies heavily on imported engineered products. CLT, glulam, and precision-graded lumber often come from Chile, Brazil, Canada, or Austria, increasing costs and limiting scalability. The domestic supply chain remains fragmented, with limited drying, grading, and engineered-wood manufacturing capacity.
The strong influence of the concrete and steel industries, together with the very low cost of traditional concrete labor, makes timber construction less competitive. Consequently, timber buildings today are mostly concentrated in higher-income segments, which reinforces the perception of wood as a premium or luxury material affordable only to these groups.
In this context, academic institutions such as UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico), and several specialized organizations and local architects’ studios have become key drivers of progress. Architecture and engineering programs are increasingly incorporating timber into their curricula, while pilot projects in major cities are fostering a growing culture of experimentation, hybrid structural solutions, and interest in mass timber for its environmental advantages. This emerging ecosystem is also reflected in the advancement of mass-timber technology, with firms such as PPAA Architects leading the development of Mexico’s first large “all-wood” building, combining CLT and laminated timber. These initiatives demonstrate a rising commitment to innovation and signal the potential for broader adoption of engineered-wood systems in the country.
Mass Timber in Peru
Peru’s mass timber market is emerging with companies like Masslam promoting CLT and laminated timber solutions. Masslam built the Espacio Libertad project focused on sustainable, precision-engineered wood components. The industry is smaller but supported by growing eco-consciousness and government incentives aiming to accelerate commercial forestry.
“Timber construction holds enormous potential, but it must address informality, illegal logging, and the lack of industrialization in order to become a viable alternative” (Source: Kestävä Kollektiivi, Online survey on the state of wood construction in Latin America, 2025)
Mass Timber in Uruguay
Uruguay is increasingly recognized as a regional leader in mass timber production. This leadership in production is largely driven by Arboreal, which operates South America’s largest CLT and glulam factory with full vertical integration, from sustainably managed forests to CNC precision manufacturing.
Beyond these flagship developments, Uruguay has rapidly built one of the region’s most advanced environments for industrialized timber construction. The country has 1.16 million hectares of forest plantations, providing a stable and sustainable raw-material base that supports both domestic demand and an expanding export capacity.
Since 2020, public policies have accelerated timber adoption through initiatives such as the National Wood Construction Roadmap driven by the Housing ministry of Uruguay and many local research institutions and governmental organizations as well as private companies (2020-2024). This project also included activities and research done jointly with Chilean and Finnish institutions. As a result, it produced various pilot projects in education, healthcare, and social housing that have validated the benefits of timber systems and increased confidence in wood as a high-performance structural material.
A turning point for the public sector was the Rivera Prototype Project, MEVIR’s (Movement for the Eradication of Unsanitary Rural Housing, in English) first large-scale timber social housing pilot. Developed with the participation of national companies such as Ñandé, Lumin, Urufor, and Laviere, the prototypes demonstrated the feasibility, thermal performance, construction speed, and social acceptance of wood-based systems. Building on this initiative, ANV and the Ministry of Housing launched the International Social Housing Competition for a multi-story timber project, where the Durazno project – developed by construction company Enkel Group together with the architecture studios of Enkel Group and Dovat Arquitectos – was selected as the winning design. The project hasn’t advanced after reaching an advanced executed design phase in 2024.
Despite significant progress, mass-timber construction in Uruguay is still driven mainly by private-sector initiatives and the country continues to face challenges such as the need for a unified national regulatory framework for multi-story timber buildings. Even so, Uruguay benefits from a certified and reliable forestry base, growing engineered-wood capacity, strong institutional support, and a stable social and economic environment for foreign investment. These conditions place the country in a solid position to continue advancing mass-timber production and to play a relevant role in the development of prefabricated and industrialized timber construction in the region.
The Future Scenario of Mass Timber in Latin America
Latin America is approaching a decisive moment for scaling timber construction systems. The combination of abundant forest resources -more than 700 million ha.- and the urgent need to accelerate housing production are creating strong conditions for expansion. Although each country advances at a different pace, there is a growing consensus that timber is moving from the margins to a viable structural alternative for housing and private developments.
Industrialization, prefabrication, and DfMA (Design for Manufacture and Assembly) will be central to the next stage of growth as they improve productivity, reduce construction times, and ensure quality control. Yet significant barriers persist, including fragmented regulations, limited structural-grading systems, insufficient engineered-wood manufacturing capacity, and shortages of trained professionals and specialized labor.
The region’s housing deficit reinforces the demand for faster, lighter, and more industrialized construction systems. At the same time, expansion will not be driven by industry alone. Public-sector engagement—through updated regulations and financing mechanisms for timber—will be essential to accelerate adoption and close technological gaps. As governments increasingly integrate timber into housing and sustainability policies, the region could experience sustained and systemic sector growth.
Despite these challenges, the outlook remains optimistic. Growing interest from private developers, the growth of hybrid systems combining timber with concrete or steel, and the expansion of academic and research programs are clear signs of momentum. With continued institutional support and targeted industrial investment, Latin America could play a more visible role in the global mass-timber landscape and contribute to the adoption of more sustainable construction methods.
About the authors
This article was co-written by Kaisa Baiardi and Brenda Kelly (from Kestävä), and Diego Pappacena. Leonardo Sampieri, from Frost & Sullivan, served as editor and co-author.
Kestävä is a Finnish company that partners with international businesses to develop sustainable land-use and market-entry solutions in Latin America, combining local insight with global expertise. The company’s team is made up of landscape architect and CEO Kaisa Baiardi and architect and researcher Brenda Kelly. Among other studies and data sources, the article contains insights from Kestävä’s recent market study (2025) carried out for Aalto University with the support of Business Finland, analyzing the state of timber construction in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay.
Diego Pappacena is an architect with a Master’s Degree in Sustainability in Architecture and Urban Planning (FADU, University of Buenos Aires)
Leonardo Sampieri is a Sr. Business Analyst, part of the Chemicals, Materials and Nutrition team in Frost & Sullivan, a global research and consulting company. He has been doing research on construction materials and materials for clean energy for the last four years.
