Mass timber achieves ‘firsts’ in three more markets

Last summer, the developer oWow, which specializes in mass timber projects, for the second time revised its plans for an apartment building in downtown Oakland, Calif., that, if completed, would be the tallest mass-timber building in the U.S. At 28 stories and 496 units, the high rise would be eight stories taller and 240 units denser than what oWow proposed initially. By adding height and unit count, the developer, through state and local laws, would earn a 76% density bonus for this project, according to reports in the San Francisco Business Times and The Real Deal.

It's no secret that more developers and AEC firms are leaning toward mass timber options. And while growth estimates from different market watchers are all over the map, there is clear evidence that more buildings are incorporating mass timber components, especially as codes adjust to allow the use of prefabricated cross-laminated timber for taller buildings.

Height, however, is hardly the only factor in mass timber’s favor. Building efficiencies and aesthetics also come into play, as three recent projects accentuate.

For the new 52,000-sf Senior & Community Center in Redmond, Wash., the exposed mass timber structure is an element of a sustainable building that runs on air-source heat pumps, all-electric building systems, and a 156-kW solar photovoltaic array. The mass timber also contributes to the building’s’ biophilic architectural design that is meant to foster occupant wellbeing. (The center’s designer was Opsis Architecture, in collaboration with Johnston Architects.)

The Center, which opened last May, boasts a Kid Zone, group exercise room, flexible classroom space, Senior Lounge, Senior Library, gymnasium, Red Oak Community Room, stage for performances, and an events terrace.

Projects require team collaboration
 

Last July, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in Wilmington, N.C., marking completion of the construction of a 67,000-sf, four-story structure that represents the fourth employee building on Live Oak Bank’s headquarters campus. This project is the first of its kind in eastern North Carolina to be constructed with a 100% mass timber structural system under an exterior of cypress siding, metal panels, and curtainwall.

LS3P designed Building Four, which was built by locally based Monteith Construction and Swinerton, a national contractor. Swinerton’s affiliate Timberlab supplied the fabricated components from its Greenville, S.C., factory, utilizing Southern Yellow Pine. The building project required 22 trucks of cross-laminated timber and 20 trucks of glue-laminated timber. Among the 955 pieces of glulam shipped, the largest component measured nearly 30 ft and weighed nearly 3,500 lbs. Of the 250 CLT pieces shipped, the largest measured 51 ft and weighed 4,724 lbs.

Bryan Thomas, Monteith Construction’s CEO, said in a prepared statement that the success of this type of project hinges on the collaboration between architect and contractor, and the utilization of virtual design. He added that because mass timber is lighter than other building materials, its use “translates into overall time and cost savings.” Live Oak Bank’s Building Four took 12 months to build.

Mass timber graces new city hall

Next summer, Georgia’s first mass timber municipal building is scheduled for completion in a suburb of Atlanta, where the five-story, 58,250-sf Brookhaven City Centre is being built by a joint venture between McCarthy Building Companies and Barnsley Construction Group.

The building team topped off this $78 million project in mid-October. Designed by Sizemore Group, the building will consist entirely of exposed mass timber for all its upper levels, and concrete for the 70-space parking garage.  

Brookhaven City Centre will encompass Brookhaven’s inaugural city hall, administrative offices and city council chambers. City employees will occupy the building’s three upper levels. A rooftop garden will cover the south end of the building, which also prominently features a three-story atrium positioned at the center of the structure. Public green space is programmable for outdoor community events.

The city hall will be located near the Brookhaven MARTA rail station. (The city acquired the building’s lot from MARTA in 2023.)

“Brookhaven City Centre is an excellent representation of mass timber’s inherent flexibility and versatility,” said Selena Schulten, Barnsley Construction Group’s president, in a prepared statement. The building is striving to achieve LEED and WELL certifications.