HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT 

Field Trip 1: Wood/Mass Timber R&D and Product Innovations

This bus trip will visit research and innovation sites in Maine. Our first stop is a tour of The University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC) in Orono, a world-leading, interdisciplinary center for research, education, and economic development encompassing material sciences, advanced manufacturing, and engineering of composites and structures. As part of the tour, attendees will hear about research making Maine and New England more competitive in the mass timber arena, see the new wood fiber insulation pilot line and visit BioHome3D, the first 3D-printed house made entirely with bio-based, recyclable materials. Our next visit will be to TimberHP in Madison, manufacturer of high-performing wood fiber insulation. Manufactured domestically at their factory in Maine, TimberHP supports the working landscape, sustainable forestry, and Maine’s rural economy. Trip departs from and returns to Portland Museum of Art with a light breakfast and a boxed lunch provided. The bus ride is approximately 2.5 hours from Portland.

Field Trip 2: Mass Timber Buildings & Prefabrication

Spend the day on the midcoast of Maine with visits to mass timber construction buildings; Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum at Bowdoin College and The Ellis-Beauregard Foundation in Rockland. Learn about sustainable and affordable mass timber design at OPAL Build in Belfast. OPAL Build is a B2B construction start-up creating the next generation of sustainable, cost-competitive mass timber housing to meet the current housing shortage. Bus trip departs from and returns to Portland Museum of Art with a light breakfast and a boxed lunch provided. The bus ride is approximately 2.5 hours from Portland.

Field Trip 3: Portland Area Taste of Timber

Visit sites within the greater Portland area starting with a tour about sustainable forest management at the New England Forestry Foundation’s Arnold Family Forest in Freeport. We will then visit examples of mass timber construction at 317 Main in Yarmouth and the Patrons Oxford Insurance Building in Portland. The day will be topped off with a tour of the Portland Museum of Art’s Winslow Homer Studio on Prouts Neck. Trip departs from and returns to Portland Museum of Art with light breakfast and lunch provided.

Hosted by the Portland Museum of Art, November 14, 2024 | 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.

Please join us for a reception at the Portland Museum of Art with access to our American Art and Contemporary and Modern galleries. Attendees will each receive a drink ticket and free hors d’oeuvres.

About the Portland Museum of Art

With an extensive collection and nationally renowned exhibitions, the Portland Museum of Art is the cultural heart of Portland, Maine. The PMA collection includes significant holdings of American, European, and contemporary art, as well as iconic works from Maine—highlighting the rich artistic tradition of the state and its artists. The museum brings it all to life with unparalleled programming. From special members events, Free School Tours, and a commitment to family activities, PMA Films, curator talks, and tours of the Winslow Homer Studio—it’s all happening at the PMA. In 2022, sparked by the current growth of the collection, record attendance, and community feedback, the museum launched The PMA Blueprint: Building a Landmark for the Future, a $100M campus expansion and unification project that will more than double the size of the PMA’s campus as well as the museum’s economic impact throughout the region. Designed by LEVER Architecture, a new mass timber landmark building will be a pillar of sustainable design and a catalyst for climate-safe construction in Maine.

This event is generously supported by MaineHealth. 

Parking will be available at the MaineHealth parking lot on Free Street courtesy of MaineHealth 

November 15, 2024 | 8 to 9 a.m.

The Women in Timber breakfast is designed to make space for women who have interest in Mass Timber as a place to connect with peers, share resources, and build relationships without agenda. Empowering women to bring forward and advocate their achievements, influence, and areas of growth to create new pathways with this novel material through cultivation, use and installation, as opportunities in art, design, engineering, and construction. We envision strengthening and spotlighting how Mass Timber is opening new avenues for women to create inspiration in their areas of interest. Brief remarks will be shared by our invited women speakers.

Free for all Free for Mass Timber Maine Conference attendees and students with valid ID; tickets for non-conference attendees are $25 and while space is available.

This event is generously supported by WholeTrees Structures.

November 15, 2024 | 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

2024 Bernard Osher Lecture: From Forest to Framework: The Journey of Mass Timber

Join us for this year’s Bernard Osher Lecture, and hear from experts along the forestry supply chain, from logging through architecture, as they discuss mass timber and its impacts in construction and Maine.

Panel Speakers

• Jason Brochu, Co-President, Pleasent River Lumber

• Dana Doran, Executive Director, Professional Logging Contractors Northeast

• Thomas Robinson, Founding Principal, LEVER Architecture

• Jen Shakun, Bioeconomy Initiative Director, New England Forestry Foundation

• Ben Stevens, Forest Manager, Penobscot Nation Forestry Program

Moderated by Matt Tonello, Project Executive, Consigli Construction Company, Inc

Registration for this lecture is separate from the conference.

Free for all Free for Mass Timber Maine Conference attendees, PMA Members, and Students with Valid ID; tickets are $15 for the public

The annual Bernard Osher Lecture Series is made possible by the Peggy and Harold Osher Endowment at the Portland Museum of Art.