Two new mass timber office buildings for 2025
By Quinn Purcell, Managing Editor
The editors of Building Design+Construction have collected over 40 recent office and office-to-residential projects, including mixed-use destinations, LEED-certified buildings, and mass timber-built headquarters.
We’re breaking down the submissions into several individual articles to highlight what makes each project special. Because these were all completed in the last 18 months or are currently under construction, these office building and office-to-res projects showcase the latest the market has to offer in terms of amenities, trends, and construction techniques.
Below are two of the 40 projects. The full list is coming soon, so stay tuned!
2 Mass Timber Office Building Projects for 2025
Here are two recent office buildings that were built using mass timber:
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Cleveland Foundation Headquarters
Cleveland, Ohio
The Cleveland Foundation Headquarters is a three-story, 55,000-sf building that integrates deeply with the neighborhood it serves. The foundation’s mission is focused on enhancing the lives of all residents of Greater Cleveland by working together with donors to build community endowment, address needs through grantmaking, and provide leadership on key community issues.
The mass timber building targets LEED Platinum status and enabled the Foundation to relocate its headquarters from its previous high-rise offices to a sidewalk-level presence for the first time in over a century. The design reinterprets the industrial aesthetic of the area through innovative mass timber construction, featuring a warm wood and glass façade that invites interaction and transparency.
The property includes private offices, workstations, conference spaces for both Foundation and community use, community public areas, building amenities, and a lower-level parking garage. Notably, it dedicates half of its footprint to community-oriented facilities, including a public café, a dance and multipurpose studio, a conference center, and an art exhibition space.
A 250-kilowatt solar canopy offsets up to 30% of the building’s annual electricity use, reducing carbon emissions by over 250,000 pounds annually. Surrounding greenspaces enhance the natural environment, and the building’s design incorporates universal accessibility, natural materials, and energy-efficient systems, achieving LEED Gold certification with the goal of reaching LEED Platinum status.
On the Building Team:
Developer: Cleveland Foundation
Architect: S9 Architecture
AOR: Vocon
Structural Eng: Osborn
MEP Eng: Karpinski Engineering
Landscape Architect: DERU Landscape Architecture
Furniture: APG Office Furnishings
Construction Manager: Panzica Construction
Southline Campus
San Francisco, Calif.
Southline Campus is a mixed-use development located near San Francisco’s robust transit systems. Initially, Southline’s Amenities Building was designed to be built using a traditional steel structure. However, DPR team members identified cost and schedule savings opportunities that could be achieved by changing the structural design from steel to mass timber.
Mass timber’s natural warmth and comforting aesthetics reduced the need for many interior finishes, like drywall, wall coverings, and dropped ceilings throughout the building. Limiting these finishes reduced the total cost of materials and the time required to complete the interior build-out.
One of the project’s most notable changes involved the transitioning of the structure’s design from a mat foundation to a grade beam foundation, and concentrating footings underneath the walls and columns. This allowed the team to remove all unnecessary concrete that did not benefit the building structurally.
The team also found opportunities by pulling all sheer walls into the center of the building. This change allowed for more air movement, daylight, and an overall improved experience for the user.
On the Building Team:
Owner: Lane Partners
Architect: DES Architects + Engineers
Civil Eng: BKF Engineers
Construction Manager: Project Management Advisors
General Contractor: DPR Construction