The day has finally arrived! After months of delays, construction on The Edison – a 31-story skyscraper set to be North America’s tallest mass timber tower – has finally kicked off in downtown Milwaukee.
Wood Central understands that crews from C.D. Smith Construction and developer Neutral last week commenced preparation works on the build – which will use 100,000 cubic feet of lumber in the cross-laminated timber panels and glulam beams over an 8-story post-tensioned concrete base, with the 378-unit development to tower over the 25-story Ascent – which was in 2022 certified as the world’s tallest timber tower.
According to Neutral and C.D. Smith, the first phase of work will see crews focus on repairing the dock wall between the site and Milwaukee River, with groundworks on the tower to begin in the coming weeks. It comes weeks after Neutral “found a more efficient parking layout” that kept the same number of spaces while reducing the height of the parking structure within the building, according to Daniel Glassl, Neutral’s Chief Product Officer, who said the Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture-designed skyscraper would be a short hop, skip, and jump from a 50-story timber tower (slated to be the tallest in the world) also developed by Neutral.
Why Milwaukee? North America’s new hub for timber skyscrapers
In August, Michael Green, the architect behind the 50-story mass timber building, said that Milkwaukee was part of a growing number of “secondary cities” leading the way in sustainable development. According to Green, city officials are “on board” with sustainable-centric design – adding that smaller cities, like Milwaukee, have a unique opportunity to create sustainable models for larger urban centres to follow – with larger cities, like Chicago, less willing to experiment with materials.
“It is ambitious projects like THESE that show how smaller cities are now poised to surpass the once-dominant capitals that shaped our skylines a century ago. Milwaukee’s progressive leaders are embracing a future-oriented vision, encouraging development and innovation. Secondary cities across America are proving what’s possible. It’s time we all listen.”
Michael Green talking about the 50-story timber project now approved by the Milwaukee city officals.
The 31-story skyscraper to rise over the banks of a historic timber yard.
Developed on the banks of the Milwaukee River, The Edison will quite appropriately be built on the grounds where a historic timber yard once stood: “We, along with the Neutral Project, are looking to make this ambitious project the proof of concept for mass timber construction in the US,” according to documents submitted by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture to the city earlier this year, before adding that the use of mass timber parts will reduce embodied carbon emissions by up to 70% compared to traditional materials.
According to Mr Glaessi, mass timber is part of Neutral’s mission to construct carbon-neutral buildings. At its completion, the building will be one of the world’s tallest mass timber hybrid structures, utilising nearly 100,000 cubic feet of lumber.” Wood Central understands that Edison will also set a new, ultra-high standard in green housing, including Passive House principles, a high-performance building standard administered by Phius (Passive House Institute of the US).
In recent months, mass timber-based construction systems have been embraced as a preferred method for mixed-use and residential projects—especially in the 12-18-story sweet spot.
According to a CBS report in March, tall timber buildings are now becoming mainstream across the United States – with demand for timber buildings, including the American Midwest, expected to surge 25-fold over the next 50 years. That’s because they are lighter, more sustainable, and faster to construct than conventional steel and concrete systems.
From the groundbreaking, the new building is expected to top out in early 2028 after a 30-month construction period. Mr Glaessi said the building will also fill the city’s housing market void: “[Milwaukee] is a very innovation-friendly city, and the market conditions are very good,” adding that, “in other parts of the country, it’s hard to develop without speaking of sustainable development.”
- To learn more about the surge in mass timber construction across the United States and the Midwest’s role in driving mid-rise and high-rise timber construction, visit Wood Central’s special feature.
