BLDUP Spotlight is a weekly feature where readers get insights from local industry experts and learn about what is happening in the City of Boston. This week we sat down with John Klein, the founder of John Klein Design and a Research Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. John worked for Zaha Hadid Architects for five years as a Senior Architect leading teams to design and deliver over 10 million square feet of large-scale buildings and skyscrapers. After ZHA, John joined the MIT Media Lab to direct cross-disciplinary teams to develop a first of its kind optically transparent glass printing process called G3DP. Alongside practicing architecture, John teaches courses on architectural design and technology, innovative housing and industrialized wood-based construction at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA).

Your group recently won the US Wood Innovation Grant, congrats! What do you feel set your designs/innovations apart from the group and how will you use the grant to advance your work?

John Klein: The wood innovation grant is a great opportunity to for us to demonstrate to the Greater Boston Area that mass timber technologies have the ability to deliver a cost-effective solution for the cities housing and carbon reduction goals. We have assembled an incredible team from MIT and across the industry to start developing sustainable cost-effective housing design concepts. We are structured as an integrated design team, where all disciplines (architects, engineers, contractors, and developers) are working together from the very early project stages to demonstrate the strong potential these technologies offer for Boston, but additionally, the rest of the Northeast.

What do you see as the biggest challenge right now in the construction industry and how is MIT Mass Timber working to overcome this?

John Klein: The current mass timber manufacturing and supply chain status give way to an economic sweet spot for mass timber technologies at the mid-rise range. At heights above six stories, mass timber technologies have begun to compete economically with concrete and steel building solutions. The current North-American codes, however, do not support mass timber building prototypes with above six stores—an impediment which significantly limits the implementation of mass timber in the mid-rise range. Nevertheless, testing has been underway in North America to demonstrate mass timber’s performance capabilities for fire and seismic conditions. Fortunately, there is a high probability that mass timber technologies will be recognized in the 2021 version of the International Building Code (IBC), which will decidedly aid in the acceleration of mass timber buildings into the built environment.

Outside of code limitations, other barriers for the implementation of the technology are general unfamiliarity from contractors and building trades in working with the systems, as well as general growing pains in the supply chain with scaling up production. It will be instrumental for cities and states to recognize the values that these technologies present for building sustainably in their urban centers and to further offer incentives to support the early adopters who pursue projects (code variances, subsidies, carbon monetization, expedited permitting, etc.).

What are your goals for the future of Mass Timber design?

John Klein: My goal for the next year is to work closely with the city and state to build a demonstration mass timber housing prototype in Boston. We are hopeful to prove that Massachusetts can be a leader in implementing these technologies. We are looking to engage with progressive developers and members from the housing communities to share our work and find ways to scale the solution. Should members of BLDUP community have ideas or interests, please get in touch with me: j_klein@mit.edu

What is a favorite quote that inspires you or you strive to live by?

John Klein: “Find purpose. The means will follow.” - Mahatma Gandhi