Yesterday, Vancouver, British Columbia–based mass timber construction and design specialist Michael Green Architecture (MGA) announced its acquisition by Katerra, a Menlo Park, Calif.–based tech company looking to "redefine the construction industry" by taking a systems approach to design and building assembly.
Prior to this announcement, MGA served as one of Katerra's four Design Consortium partners enlisted to help design and execute high quality architecture. With the acquisition, the firm is now called Michael Green Architecture, a Katerra Company.
“MGA is excited to become a part of the Katerra ecosystem,” said MGA president and CEO Michael Green in a press release. “MGA and Katerra both aim to provide elegant, sustainable, high-performance, affordable buildings. Katerra’s goal to accomplish this on a large scale aligns with MGA’s long-term ambition. MGA is determined to create a meaningful and lasting legacy for our clients, the planet, and the social well-being of the people living on it.”
Green, who will retain his title at MGA, is perhaps best known by the public for his 2013 TED Talk, "Why We Should Building Wooden Skyscrapers." The partnership seems to be a natural fit given MGA's expertise—the practice designed Minneapolis' T3 office building and the Wood Innovation and Design Centre, in Prince George, British Columbia, among mass-timber projects—and Katerra's recent investments in mass timber production and construction.
"Michael Green and his team have built a reputation for engaging design and leadership in the use of mass timber," said Katerra co-founder and chairman Michael Marks in the same release. "This goes a long way to support our mission to utilize cutting-edge technology and systems to revolutionize the construction industry.”
Going forward, Green will will continue to lead MGA with much of his team intact. Katerra will provide technology expertise and enhance production capabilities for future mass-timber projects.
To learn more about Katerra's strategy for improving the building industry's efficiency, listen to our ArchitectChats podcast episode featuring Craig Curtis, FAIA, president of Katerra Architecture.
