[photo credit:] Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment. Image Credit: Stantec
The Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment in Boston is an influential showcase for the potential of wood construction. The transformation of 42 1940s-era buildings into a sustainable, mixed-income residential community will include a six-story affordable housing project built with a cross-laminated timber floor and roof system and a nine-story mass timber and steel hybrid building.
Bunker Hill is also a demonstration of the role that accelerator programs funded by the Softwood Lumber Board can play in supporting the growth of wood construction nationwide. The project was awarded a grant through the SLB and USDA Forest Service-funded Boston Mass Timber Accelerator program, which brought together the Boston Planning & Development Agency, charged with meeting the city’s carbon reduction goals, and the Boston Society of Architects, which helped promote the accelerator. Recipients also received individual project support from WoodWorks, an SLB and Forest Service-funded program staffed with construction experts that helps developers and design teams use wood in new and innovative ways.
Growing Wood Construction in U.S. Cities
Accelerator programs in Boston, New York, and Atlanta combine the efforts of local governments, regional jurisdictions, and the softwood lumber industry to expand opportunities for new projects, remove barriers, and streamline code compliance.
The accelerators use matching funds from the USDA Forest Service’s Wood Innovations Grants and other programs, amplifying the SLB’s $50,000 investment in each program to support a total project budget of $175,000 to $275,000 per market.
The inherent value propositions for lumber products and building systems create opportunities in market sectors that are primed for growth. Design practitioners, developers, and communities are prioritizing and investing in attainable housing expansion and economic development initiatives.
The use of lumber allows for even greater sustainable building construction but, just as importantly, it also supports sustainable forest management, reduces catastrophic wildfire risk-1, and improves forest health and economic opportunity for rural communities, all of importance to host cities as well.
Success in Boston, New York, and Georgia
The Boston Mass Timber Accelerator was the first of the programs to launch in 2021. The program awarded seven projects in 2022 and three additional projects in a second round in 2023, including Bunker Hill. The accelerator issued a final report finding that mass timber is accelerating in the city and region, with eight active projects totaling over 1.3 million sq. ft. projected to be constructed with mass timber materials. “Notably, two of the active projects with mass timber commitments are the initial buildings of much larger multi-building projects that will be built out over the next ten years,” the report says. “Boston’s future projects with mass timber commitments amount to 22 buildings totaling over 4.3 million sq. ft. of construction.”
Following the success of the program in Boston, the SLB supported two more accelerator programs in New York and Georgia. In early 2024, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced the winning design teams for its first Mass Timber Studio.
“Expanding the use of mass timber is a critical component to achieving New York City’s carbon reduction targets, including reducing embodied carbon emissions for new buildings, infrastructure, and major retrofits by 50 percent,” wrote the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter as part of an event presenting the seven projects receiving awards in the first phase of the program. The winning projects are four multifamily buildings, a mixed-use industrial space, a public library branch, and a recreation center. The Studio launched an entry period for a second cohort of projects in February 2025.
The Georgia Mass Timber Accelerator Program managed by the Georgia Forestry Foundation (GFF) provides Georgia with a way to grow its forest products market, as the state grows 50% more wood than it harvests, according to the GFF. The program provides winning project teams with direct grants as well as technical assistance from WoodWorks. The accelerator has announced three selected projects: a four-story mixed-use expansion using mass timber over an existing steel masonry commercial building in Atlanta, a nature center in Roswell, and a four-story residential building in Savannah.
Alongside a new call for entries issued in February 2025, Georgia’s accelerator is expanding its efforts by establishing Mass Timber Hubs in key cities across the state. In partnership with WoodWorks, the Mass Timber Educational Hubs Initiative will connect local architecture, engineering, construction, and development professionals, highlighting the benefits of mass timber, addressing potential challenges, and raising awareness for the next round of the accelerator.
Expanding the Impact to More Cities
The SLB is inviting cities interested in building more nonresidential and multifamily structures with wood to apply for funding and project support for their own accelerator programs. With the success of the inaugural programs, the SLB is eager to expand its impact and support the growth of wood construction nationwide. The SLB will be seeking proposals from applicant cities this year.
For more information, visit www.softwoodlumberboard.org.
1- “Mass Timber and Managing Wildfire Risk,” p. 452, www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/cityscape/vol26num2/ch22.pdf
