The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) and the USDA Forest Service (USDA) have announced the winners of the 2025 Mass Timber Competition: Building Sustainable Schools. This year's competition awarded $1.8 million to support projects that accelerate the adoption of mass timber in the United States, with a specific focus on K-12 educational environments.
The winning projects demonstrate how biophilic design using solid wood can strengthen academic performance, improve teacher and staff well-being, and create healthier, more resilient learning spaces for students. This is the third round of the competition, which has already advanced a number of innovative solid wood projects nationwide.
“Mass wood is a revolutionary building material – and in schools, a path to better learning and stronger communities. By integrating the principles of biophilia into K-12 learning environments, these winning projects will demonstrate how wood can support academic performance, teacher satisfaction and long-term sustainability. The SLB is proud to help accelerate adoption where it matters most: in the classrooms that shape our future,” said Cees de Jager, President and CEO of the SLB.
“Sustainably harvested wood plays a critical role in improving the health and resiliency of America's forests, while providing the raw material for inspiring and uplifting schools. By linking responsible forest management to the needs of K-12 communities, these projects demonstrate how the benefits of mass timber travel from our forests directly to classrooms – where students, educators and families can all benefit,” added John Crockett, USDA Forest Service deputy director for public, private and tribal forestry.
This year's winning proposals included:
Cleveland High School
Portland, Oregon – Project Team: Portland Public Schools, Mahlum Architects, Studio Petretti Architects, KPFF Structural Engineering, Code Bird Consulting, Skanska
Cleveland High School is located on a small urban campus that has become increasingly crowded as the school has grown over the years, leaving little open space or outdoor space for students to socialize or even eat lunch. The new 1,700-student Cleveland High School will consist of two four-story towers surrounding a courtyard providing outdoor space for learning, socializing and athletic activities, and connected by a solid wood-framed bridge. Most classrooms and a variety of other spaces will be housed in Type IV HT solid wood construction, with DLT Acoustic Flooring (ADLT) eliminating the need for extensive acoustic tile ceilings in classrooms.
New Lawton Elementary School
Ann Arbor, Michigan – Project Team: Ann Arbor Public Schools, Gilbane Building Company, Quinn Evans Architects, Brix Corporation
This new elementary school will provide a 21st century learning environment with strong indoor-outdoor connections, Passive House performance, and US CHPS Verified Leader certification. The carbon-neutral and all-electric project emphasizes wellness, natural light and sustainability while preserving the site's iconic ancient oak tree. The superstructure is designed to maximize carbon reduction through a predominantly solid timber system with CLT floor and roof decks and glulam beams, beams and columns. Exposed wood will characterize key areas such as the library, café and meeting point, providing both structural efficiency and biophilic impact.
New Central Maui School
Waikapu, Hawaii – Project Team: Hawaii School Facilities Authority, Hawaii Off Grid, MKThink, RT Tanaka Engineers, Mo'olelo Group
This new middle school will meet the urgent needs of the community following the Lahaina wildfire and population growth in the area and will initially serve 300-600 students, increasing to 1,150 over time. Designed as a community school, its facilities will serve both students and the wider community, with the cafetorium doubling as emergency accommodation. The structural system is planned as a floor slab with glulam posts and beams supporting CLT, NLT or DLT roof frames and selected partition walls. By using a comprehensive mass timber system in classrooms and community spaces, the project reduces both carbon emissions and the role of wood in resilient community infrastructure.
Whittier Elementary School
Washington, DC – Project Team: Hord Coplan Macht, DC Public Schools, MCN, CMTA, SKA Engineers
This net-zero renovation and expansion of Whittier will more than double the school's square footage while preserving the historic main building. The hardwood addition will include a library, STEM and art classrooms, a gym, cafeteria and outdoor green space. With the support of the competition, the project team is examining replacing the originally planned steel frame with supplied CLT and glued laminated timber systems. Wood would be featured in highly visible learning spaces to integrate it into Whittier's sustainability curriculum, while margin optimization and cost modeling would be used to confirm its viability as an economically and educationally enriching choice.
For more information about the Mass Timber Competition, visit softwoodlumberboard.org/mass-timber-competition-2025/