Mass Timber Construction Journal

White Arkitekter's Sara Kulturhus in Sweden is next in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series, after bringing one of the world's tallest timber buildings to the small subarctic city of Skellefteå. The Sara Kulturhus Centre marked a step-change in the ambition of timber construction, demonstrating that the timber revolution kickstarted a decade earlier by a previous building in this series, Waugh Thistlteton's Murray Grove in 2009, showed no signs of abating. https://lnkd.in/gjp8Y62e

New York-based investor Tony Cheng is set to build Australia’s tallest timber tower, a 13-storey boutique office at 4-6 York Street in Sydney’s CBD. Designed by architecture firm Tzannes for Cheng’s NGI Investments, the building will feature 11 storeys of mass timber construction, with a hybrid timber-steel design for the top two floors to support large cantilevers over railway tunnels. Tzannes co-director Alec Tzannes explained, “It’s fully massed timber above the steel cantilevers required to span over the railway tunnels,” noting that the design incorporates timber for everything from floors to fire escapes. https://lnkd.in/g_h4JFS9

Microsoft’s Silicon Valley Campus (SVC) has achieved two significant sustainability recognitions: the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) WELL Certification Platinum for healthy building strategies and the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) Zero Carbon Certification. These two important recognitions are a testament to our commitment to sustainability, employee experience, and our efforts to create a healthier, more equitable, and sustainable built environment. “The achievements at the Silicon Valley Campus highlight our dedication to creating a work environment where our employees can thrive and innovate,” said Shawn Villaron, Microsoft Bay Area region lead and vice president and general manager, PowerPoint. “These certifications demonstrate our commitment to sustainability leadership and prioritizing the health and wellbeing of our people.” Prioritizing employee wellbeing The WELL Certification is a global rating system developed by IWBI that recognizes buildings designed to support the health and wellbeing of occupants. By achieving a Platinum-level WELL Certification, the highest performance category, SVC demonstrates Microsoft’s commitment to putting employee health and wellbeing at the center of the employee experience when on site. https://lnkd.in/gNZgvzDG

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! https://lnkd.in/gS3kfUpH

Blumer Lehmann is taking over the timber construction division of Hächler AG and will continue to operate the Hächler Holzbau business under the Blumer Lehmann name. From 1 April 2025, Blumer Lehmann will serve former Hächler Holzbau customers from its location in Gossau, Switzerland. All existing commitments and new contracts will be managed by experienced timber construction team, which will continue to work from the current Hächler AG workshops in Neuenhof near Baden, Switzerland. Blumer Lehmann is one of the leading timber construction company based in the St. Gallen Lake Area, Switzerland. https://lnkd.in/gEn5aG5a

Welsh government backs standardised timber housing designs The Welsh government has put its support behind a set of standardised timber housing designs, with the aim of building more sustainable and energy-efficient homes in the nation. Tai ar y Cyd, a collaboration of 23 Welsh social landlords, have put together a pattern book of homes that can be used by offsite manufacturers. The layouts are for 15 house types and 18 variants, including one-bedroom flats, four-bedroom houses and fully wheelchair-accessible homes. All designs meet the Welsh Development Quality Requirements and Welsh Housing Quality Standard. The Welsh government said the homes will also use timber sourced from Welsh forests and be manufactured in Welsh factories where possible. https://lnkd.in/gf_BJsgS

The weekly updater is out once again! Can mass timber revolutionize the way we build in diverse sectors from retail to military? Explore groundbreaking developments as we unveil the Apple Miami World Center, the first Apple store to heavily incorporate mass timber construction, seamlessly merging iconic Art Deco elements with sustainability. Discover how Swinerton's expansion in Hawaii aims to redefine construction services across aviation, hospitality, and more, ensuring tailored solutions with their new Maui office. Each story in this episode promises to broaden your understanding of how mass timber is reshaping architectural norms and pushing the boundaries of traditional construction methods. Join us as we dive deeper into innovative applications of mass timber, from earthquake-resistant military shelters to eco-friendly urban infrastructure. Learn how the US Army is leading the charge in testing cross-laminated timber shelters against seismic challenges, proving its worth as a reliable building material in extreme conditions. We also showcase a remarkable multi-story car park in Germany, designed by Hermann and Bosch Architects, featuring sustainable design elements like a green roof and photovoltaic systems. This episode promises a wealth of insights into how mass timber is carving out new possibilities within the construction landscape, offering sustainable and innovative solutions across the globe. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/g4JKP58k

This week, we're honored to have Arnie Didier join us for a deep dive into the upcoming International Mass Timber Conference in Portland, Oregon. Get a sneak peek into the exciting symposiums, innovative exhibitors, and enriching workshops, while also taking advantage of some enticing early bird offers. It's a can't-miss opportunity for anyone passionate about the future of construction and sustainable design. https://lnkd.in/gbnxJwtR

Beyond concrete walls: Meet the women turning timber into Africa's next construction revolution Four women are spearheading a revolutionary shift from concrete to sustainable timber construction, challenging traditional building practices. Through various ventures, they're proving that wood can be a viable, environmentally-friendly building material despite Kenya's forest conservation concerns. Beyond construction, these engineers and architect are reshaping gender dynamics in Kenya's male-dominated building sector. https://lnkd.in/dY2fUrEH

At StructureCraft to verify that this process did not compromise the strength and stiffness of the timber and the bond performance of the adhesive, they ran structural tests that loaded the samples to failure. The tested samples exceeded strength predictions, and the strongest one withstood a maximum load of 130kN (29,500 lbs) before breaking under the combined bending and axial demands. Nice work team!