Building on our use of mass timber in projects in the UK, we are now excited to carry this experience on to two  larger scale international projects; a new-build musical theatre in Vienna, Austria for client ATG Entertainment, that utilises a glulam frame to the public front of house areas, and a new-build performing arts centre in Allston, MA, USA for the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University, utilising a mix of CLT and glulam to form the entire superstructure. These projects have offered an opportunity not only to develop our technical knowledge, but also to reflect on how differing material traditions, supply chains and industry cultures can enable the wider adoption of mass timber, something that remains more constrained in the UK. 

Sited within an historic amusement park, our design for the Theater Im Prater in Vienna is inspired by the radial geometry of the famous Reisenrad ferris wheel and the ‘nuts and bolts’ tectonic of rollercoasters and a ‘helter skelter’ that date back to the 1940s. This joyful and chaotic site, full of noise and movement, and an eclectic mix of materials including brightly coloured wood and metal, demanded a bold form and use of materials. 

Our design for a spruce glulam front of house structure, that fans out to welcome visitors, is a direct response to this vibrant context. Our use of wood also extends to a large-scale painted ‘brise soleil’ that wraps around the entire perimeter of the building, providing shading and privacy where needed, and responding to the bright colours of the amusement park setting. Originally specified as spruce to match the internal structure, larch is now being used following valuable contractor engagement and dialogue. 

Working closely with local Austrian architectural partners Dietrich Untertrifaller experienced in detailing wooden structures and facades, and within  Austria’s well established mass timber industry, has presented a number of learning opportunities; for example detailing the vertical slats that form the external ‘brise soleil’ to ensure effective rainwater runoff and therefore minimise staining, or weather protection to glulam roof beams that deliberately penetrate the waterproofing line to create a visually dynamic support structure for hanging external balconies. 

Moving over to Allston, MA, downriver from the centre of Boston and a 20 minute walk from the historic Harvard Yard, our design for the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University represents the studios most ambitious use of mass timber to date. Formed from 1480 pieces of glulam columns and beams, and 890 pieces of cross laminated timber (CLT) floor and wall panels, the entire above ground structure for this new performing arts centre is constructed from black spruce harvested in northern Quebec. 

Nordic Structures were engaged early on in the design process via a design assist appointment, which allowed the design team to refine the structural geometry, connection design and acoustic isolation strategy for the noise sensitive performance stages prior to tender. An extensive coordination process followed, ensuring that any builders work penetrations were agreed with the MEP subcontractors up front and included in the digital modelling for CNC cutting in Nordic’s fabrication facility. It was vital that an extended 12-month period was allowed for this detailed engineering process, ensuring both structural integrity and a clean visual appearance to the mass timber frame which will be exposed once construction is complete. This level of early-stage collaboration and integration between designer, engineer, contractor and manufacturer is critical to the success of mass timber projects and highlights a key area for development in the UK, where more traditional procurement routes can limit opportunities for this kind of iterative, design-led coordination. 

Mid way through this design process the design team was invited to tour Nordic’s Quebec facility to see the entire fabrication chain in real time; processing the raw harvested lumber, lamination of the glulam and CLT members, and finally panel machining on hugely impressive 5 axis CNC rigs. This proved incredibly beneficial and helped to build understanding around limitations such as timber species and healthy materials specification, acoustically isolated connection design, fire rating, and the challenges presented by FSC certification and responsible forestry management. 

Back on site in Allston a specialist carpentry subcontractor was engaged to erect the mass timber frame, working to a complex build logistics plan comprised of six building sectors and over 2000 crane ‘picks’. Despite variation in the level of install tolerance achieved it is incredibly exciting to see the ART mass timber frame now complete, and we hope to share myriad lessons learnt as we move towards project completion at the end of 2026. 

Taken together these international experiences point towards several key lessons for the UK: the value of early contractor and manufacturer engagement, the benefits of an integrated and well-established timber supply chain, and specific material understanding of the consultant team in supporting innovation. While the UK has made important strides in the use of engineered timber, particularly in response to sustainability targets, further alignment between legislation, insurance, and industry practice will be essential to unlock its full potential at scale.