Construction materials like concrete and steel have been a primary choice for designers. As a result, the construction industry has become one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. With increasing global population and climate change, resource scarcity and a need for healthy habitat is a likelihood. Therefore, to address these issues, green building movement escalated, and mass timber was looked upon as an alternative to offer a family of engineered wood products with comparable strength characteristics and desirable environmental benefits. Despite its benefits, designers are hesitant to adopt mass timber as a reliable alternative due to their lack of familiarity with the material which leads to uncertainty about costs and acts a barrier for adoption. This study attempts to break this link by investigating the cost implications of using mass timber gravity frame through the development of a cost prediction tool. This tool is envisioned to deliver costs to refer to compare mass timber as an alternative, thereby helping designers to make informed decisions for construction material at a conceptual stage of a project. This study initially developed regression equations using Principal Component Regression (PCR) and improvised to Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) to understand cost implications of selected variables and to develop a prediction tool to address the cost barrier. The researcher also believes that greater adoption will ultimately lead to sustainable forest management, reduced wildfires, and an economic base for rural regions.
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