{"id":12753,"date":"2025-01-08T04:44:28","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T18:44:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/?p=12753"},"modified":"2025-01-08T04:44:30","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T18:44:30","slug":"americas-next-timber-skyscraper-to-use-100k-cubic-feet-of-lumber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/americas-next-timber-skyscraper-to-use-100k-cubic-feet-of-lumber\/","title":{"rendered":"America’s Next Timber Skyscraper to Use 100k Cubic Feet of Lumber!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

North America’s largest mass timber project will rise to 31 stories and be built much faster than originally planned after developers “found a more efficient parking layout” that kept the same number of spaces while reducing the height of the parking structure within the building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is according to Daniel Glassl<\/a>, the Chief Product Officer for the Madison-based Neutral, who said the developer finally expects to begin site preparation in the coming months, with full construction on the tower to start in the second quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The United States’ tallest mass timber building will be located on the banks of the Milwaukee River, sparking a timber building surge across the American Midwest. (Renders courtesy of Hartshorne Plunkard Architects)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Known as The Edison, the 31-storey skyscraper is one of the United States’ most anticipated new builds, and the second Milwaukee skyscraper will be built out of mass timber construction. Its height will surpass the 25-story Ascent tower co-developed by Milwaukee’s New Land Enterprises, which put the city on the global map when it was\u00a0certified in 2022 as the tallest mass timber structure in the world<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designed by Chicago-based Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, it is expected to use more than 100,000 cubic feet of cross-laminated timber panels, and glulam beams over a post-tensioned concrete base. It is a short hop, skip, and jump from a 50-storey timber tower (slated to be the tallest in the world) also being developed by The Neutral Project.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The Neutral Project has proposed the world’s tallest (50-storey) mass timber building in the world and the tallest building in Wisconsin to be built behind the 31-storey Edison on the banks of the Milwaukee River. (Photo Credit: Renders provided by The Neutral Project)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Why Milwaukee? North America’s new hub for timber skyscrapers<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

In August<\/a>, Michael Green – the architect behind the 50-storey mass timber building – said that Milkwaukee was part of a growing sweep of “secondary cities” leading the way in sustainable development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Mr Green, city officials are completely \u201con board\u201d with sustainable-centric design \u2013 before adding that smaller cities, like Milwaukee, have a unique opportunity to create sustainable models for larger urban centres to follow \u2013 with larger cities, like Chicago, less willing to experiment with materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cIt 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\u2019s progressive leaders are embracing a future-oriented vision, encouraging development and innovation. Secondary cities across America are proving what\u2019s possible. It\u2019s time we all listen.\u201d<\/p>\nMichael Green talking <\/a>about the 50-storey timber project now approved by the Milwaukee city officals.
<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The 31-storey timber skyscraper will rise on the banks of a historic timber yard.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

The Edison will be developed on the banks of the Milwaukee River, quite appropriately, 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.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mass timber is part of the developer’s mission to construct carbon-neutral buildings. According to Mr Glaessi, “At completion, the building will be one of the world’s tallest mass timber hybrid structures, utilising nearly 100,000 cubic feet of lumber.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wood Central understands that Edison will set a new, ultra-high standard in green housing, including Passive House  (following PHIUS CORE 2021) principles, a high-performance building standard administered by Phius (Passive House Institute of the US).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Earlier this year, Hartshorne Plunkard Architects provided new renders to city officials for planning approval. (Renders courtesy of Hartshorne Plunkard Architects)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In recent months, mass timber-based construction systems have been embraced as a preferred method for mixed-use and residential projects\u2014especially in the 12-18-storey sweet spot<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a CBS report in March, tall timber buildings are now becoming mainstream across the United States<\/a> – with demand for timber buildings, especially in the American South, expected to surge 25-fold over the next 50 years<\/a>. That’s because they are lighter, more sustainable, and faster to construct than conventional steel and concrete systems.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"journal.pone
According to new research, the United States demand for mass timber is expected to grow between 452 million cubic metres to 750 million cubic metres over the 50-year projected period, with \u201cthe greatest adoption rates projected for the seven-stories and higher,\u201d fuelled by a surge in new buildings in the South (43%), followed by the West (23%), the Midwest (21%) and the Northeast (13%).
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From the groundbreaking, the new building is expected to top out in early 2028 after a 30-month construction period. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n