Macon using mass timber for guitar-shaped airport. Why it matters.

The new guitar-shaped airport terminal set to be built at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport is going to be built from wood, with over 70% of which will be locally sourced from Georgia.

Using mass timber is a stylistic choice with sustainability benefits that also fosters the engagement between urban development and the local forestry industry, according to Chris Nardone, lead architect for the project with Passero Associates.

“The choice to use mass timber was because of the design of what the building represents, the iconic acoustic guitar,” Nardone said. “Then also, when you think of Georgia and the South you think of barns and nice weathered wood country houses. Nothing beats natural finishes because it’s warm, and when you come to Georgia and you think country, you want warmth.”

Nardone said Chuck Leavell, multi-Grammy Award winner and now tree farmer, was part of the inspiration to use wood. Other Macon music stars such as Otis Redding, the Allman Brothers and Little Richard served as inspiration for the music themed terminal, which will also feature a second-floor restaurant overlooking the runway, an outdoor entertainment space and a conference room.

The birds-eye view of the terminal will be of the guitar, while the sides of the building from ground-level will look like piano keys. The $13.4 million project will be fully funded for by the 2025 Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority Construction Fund, according to a resolution for the construction.

The terminal at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport will be built primarily from Southern Yellow Pines, Nardone said, most of which probably will come from privately owned land as 90% of Georgia’s forests are privately owned, according to Matt Hestad, senior vice president for the Georgia Forestry Foundation.

A sustainability-focused airport facelift

Aside from stylistic motives to use mass timber, Nardone said environment and sustainability are important.

“As a designer, I’m always very aware of sustainability,” Nardone said. “Wood is wonderful because it is one of the best renewable sources we have out there.”

A mass timber building stores carbon in the built environment, according to Hestad.

The material used in mass timber buildings is called cross-laminated timber, which is made by stacking layers of structural grade lumber in alternating directions and gluing them together. Since cross-laminated timber is made of wood, it traps carbon during the building’s lifespan.

Mass timber is also a renewable resource, fire resistant, can be repurposed at end-of-life and reduces construction time by 25%.

The production of mass timber generates far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than concrete and steel, cutting up to 60% of embodied carbon compared to more traditional materials, according to Hestad. Additionally, in this scenario, using mass timber minimizes transportation miles and associated carbon emissions, as the wood is sourced locally and manufactured in Alabama.

In addition to the use of mass timber, the design also includes other sustainability features, such as a light-colored roof that reduces heat gain and exterior insulation that helps lower energy needed for cooling, according to Nardone. Additionally, stormwater management is designed so that rainwater is directed back into the ground, reducing runoff and supporting groundwater recharge.

The mass timber market not only promotes a more eco-friendly construction alternative but also supports Georgia’s forestry industry, where forests are growing 50% more wood annually than is harvested, according to Hestad.

“There’s been a reduction in the amount of demand for both pulp and paper and solid lumber products, and so when you think about a product like mass timber, it really does give a lot of landowners hope,” Hestad said. “Georgia is a growing state and there’s a lot more commercial development now, and so what mass timber does is it gives us the ability to enter into that market in a much greater way.”

Mass timber is relatively new to the state, Hestad said. There are currently 26 mass timber projects that are either completed, currently being built, or planned to be built in Georgia.

The Georgia Forestry Association believes that “working forests” — those actively managed and harvested — are the best land use for both environmental and economic reasons, according to Hestad.

By harvesting trees, landowners can reduce the chances of forest fires and disease outbreaks, which are more likely in poorly managed, overgrown forests, ultimately making forests more resilient and sustainable. Plus, Georgia plants more trees than any other state, up to 300 million trees annually, ensuring forests are continuously renewed.

This story was originally published May 1, 2025 at 6:00 AM.

Margaret Walker

The Telegraph