Key takeaways from the 2026 conference in Portland, Oregon, US:

• Market maturity. The conversation has shifted from “why mass timber” to “how do we deliver at scale.” This transition was evident across sessions and conversations, signaling that the industry is entering a deployment phase, where success depends on aligning supply chains, capital, and delivery systems.  
• Design evolution + hybrid systems. Innovation is moving beyond flat panels, with designs like last year’s Campfire Coil and this year’s Curved Pavilion installation exploring curvature, modularity, and material efficiency. These advancements expand both design potential and application range. Timber is also increasingly being deployed alongside steel and concrete as a pragmatic pathway to near-term scale.
• Capital alignment. Capital is interested, but still looking for clarity. Investor-focused programming like IMTC’s “Boardroom” sessions highlighted the need for standardized underwriting frameworks and performance data.  
• Supply + workforce are emerging bottlenecks. Industry dialogue is coalescing around supply chain coordination as the next critical challenge to address. Labor and training pipelines are quickly becoming limiting factors. Workforce development is now a parallel priority to manufacturing scale. (Reminder → These are key to our Grow and Train EDA project components!)