Milwaukee is fast gaining a reputation as an ideal city to build skyscrapers out of wood, with work underway on the Edison (a new 31-story mass timber building out of the ground) and plans for a second, a 50-story skyscraper, “which will use as much wood as possible.”
Speaking to CBS News, Tim Gokhman, the developer of Ascent, a 25-story block in the city’s downtown – the world’s tallest timber building, said timber had several advantages over steel and concrete.
“Concrete is imprecise, it’s labour intensive, and it has a heavy carbon footprint,” according to Gokhman, who told CBS News that it took a dozen workers just 6 months to build Ascent’s core. “Steel has advantages. It can span much better than concrete and mass timber, but it’s even heavier and has the heaviest carbon footprint.”
When asked if America has enough trees to make our cities more mass timber-friendly, Gokhman said, “I think we do. The largest cause of deforestation is a lack of demand for forest products, which causes our forests to be converted to industrial, agricultural, and residential uses.”
Timber is a compelling solution for the residential and build-to-rent industry.
Last month, Nate Helbach, founder and CEO of Neutral – the developer behind the Edison and the 50-story skyscraper designed by Michael Green, said timber is the ideal solution for residential and build-to-rent construction, commanding rental rates that far exceed the 2-3% for high-rise and 5% for low-rise construction.
And then there is fire protection, with Helbach revealing that rise testing is proving that mass timber is safer to use in high-rise buildings: “The reason for this is a process known as charring, which means that wood burns at a constant rate, even more so than steel-and-concrete.”
“So if a mass timber building ever burnt, it would burn at a very constant rate that is highly predictable – which is much safer for fire and safety personnel than a steel-and-concrete building.”
According to the 339-page Mass Timber report handed to delegates at the International Mass Timber Conference in Portland, Oregan, demand for mass timber is not equal across the United States – warning that the industry is now operating at just 39% manufacturing capacity: “This year, California, Texas, Washington, Georgia, Colorado and New York all have more than 50 projects in design and construction (with) assembly, business, educational and multifamily buildings were the leading market indicators, accounting for 80% of all mass timber construction.”
However, the total number of projects only tells part of the story. Last year, Michael Green claimed that city officials in smaller cities, like Milwaukee, are “on board” with sustainable-centric design and have a unique opportunity to create models for larger urban centres to follow, with larger cities, like Chicago, less willing to experiment with materials.
“It is ambitious projects like this 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.”
- 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.
