Mass Timber
A renewable resource that stores carbon throughout it's lifespan
Mass timber offers a range of environmental and structural benefits. Engineered wood products such as CLT, DLT, NLT, glulam, and MPP use smaller-diameter trees to create strong, consistent structural elements that store carbon for the life of the building. When paired with thoughtful framing layouts and efficient use of each system’s capacity, mass timber structures can achieve high structural efficiency. Because wood is significantly lighter than conventional materials, overall structural demands are reduced, often resulting in less material use and lower embodied carbon.
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Residential Construction
While mass timber adoption in custom residential construction is still emerging, this presents an exciting opportunity for forward-thinking homeowners and designers. The highly personalized nature of custom homes—which has historically made mass timber feel less accessible than in commercial projects—is precisely what makes thoughtful, intentional applications so impactful. Incorporating mass timber in targeted ways, such as roof structures or floor diaphragms, allows custom residential projects to showcase the material's beauty and performance while helping normalize its use and drive down costs industry-wide. Every custom home that embraces mass timber contributes to a growing momentum. And for those exploring multi-unit residential construction, the repetitive design elements offer an especially cost-effective entry point, mirroring the efficiencies already proven in commercial applications. Whether through a signature architectural feature or a full structural system, there's a meaningful path forward for mass timber in residential design—and each project helps pave the way for the next.
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Commercial Construction
Mass timber is reshaping what's possible in commercial construction, and the case for specifying it grows stronger every quarter. As the cost gap with steel and concrete continues to narrow, mass timber is becoming an increasingly competitive choice for project teams balancing pro forma pressures with design ambition. We work alongside a sophisticated network of architects, engineers, and builders in collaboration to advance mass timber construction, as well as industry groups such as WoodWorks, Think Wood, and the Softwood Lumber Board. With the dissection of technical data and design details we have developed a fluency in designing with mass timber. Our focus is low-rise commercial construction, where well-coordinated teams can inherently deliver faster erection schedules, exposed structure that doubles as finished aesthetic, and embodied carbon performance that strengthens ESG positioning and tenant appeal.
As strategic allies with Fast + Epp, who are veterans in mass timber construction, we are capable of delivering innovative mass timber structures of varying sizes.
Reimagining the California Classroom
TimberQuest
Timberquest is a DSA-approved Pre-Check (PC) mass timber classroom kit of parts on a mission to bring healthy, inspiring learning spaces to every school in California—and beyond. By pre-engineering and pre-approving the design, we shorten timelines, simplify approvals, and give districts a faster, smarter path to the learning environments their students deserve.
Built from warm, natural wood, Timberquest classrooms create places where students and teachers genuinely love to spend their days. From K–12 to higher education, public and private, our classrooms have already been delivered on remarkably accelerated timelines—proving that high-quality, sustainable, code-compliant construction doesn't have to take years.
Healthier students. Happier teachers. Faster construction. That's the Timberquest promise.
Innovation
ICARUS
ICARuS (Integrated Ceiling and Roof Suspension) is Daedalus's patented long-span plywood rib system, purpose-built to address the undersupplied steel open-web joist market and unlock new possibilities for wide, column-free interiors. By applying post-tensioning principles to timber elements—mass-fabricated from conventional plywood using mass timber laminating processes—ICARuS achieves the structural reach that long-span projects demand while giving architects unprecedented freedom overhead. Designers can shape the ceiling plane to suit virtually any architectural vision, from crisp geometric facets to softly undulating organic surfaces, without compromising structural performance. Because the roof structure and finished ceiling are unified in a single integrated system, mechanical, electrical, and other utilities pass cleanly through each rib—eliminating the need for a separate ceiling assembly and preserving the full expressive potential of the span above.