Now that the International Building Codeย allows mass timber construction up to 18 stories tall,ย developers andย architects in many U.S. jurisdictions are considering building big โ with woodย structures. A key reason is that life-cycle assessments of timber structuresย show vastly reducedย embodied carbon, which directly impacts global warming
In one case โ a new academic building for aย major university โ structures designer Buro Happoldย determined that a timberย option would slash embodied carbon by more than half as compared to aย comparable concrete structure. โMass timber offers newly viable options toย significantly reduce embodied carbon in large-scaleย building projects,โ says Paulย Richardson, principal at Buro Happold and leader of the structuralย engineeringย team in their Boston office โBy sourcing natural materials and buildingย effectively, weโreย making a powerful case for building to fulfill the ambitiousย visions of our clients while minimizingย environmental impacts.โTimber structure suppliers are similar toย steel fabricators, says Richardson: They produce shopย drawings andย calculations, procure materials, and fabricate and ship them to the projectย site inย coordination with the construction team. Whatโs different? The wood species,ย sizes, layups andย connections are unlike steel detailing, and calculationsย demand experience and knowledge. Thatโsย why Buro Happold advocates for earlyย design assist services with a carefully written request forย proposals, or RFP.
New Timberย Projects Done well, the results are both sustainableย and beautiful. Richardson points to a number of recentย institutional worksย involving Buro Happoldโs structures team, led by women including partner Yasminย Rehmanjee in New York, and principalย Suzanneย Provanzana in Chicago,ย as well asย principal Stephenย Curtisย in New York.The latest examples include the newย Recreation and Wellness Centerย atย Quinnipiac University inย Connecticut and their ongoing work on Amy Gutmann Hallย at the University of Pennsylvania, notablyย the first mass timber structure inย Philadelphia. For Amy Gutmann Hall, Buro Happold is collaborating with the university and its architecture team of Lake|Flato and KSS Architects to create the new 116,000-square-foot building, consulting on structures, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering, as well as lighting systems. Designed as an active, data-driven innovation center of six stories and incorporating novel bio-inspired computing paradigms and social science laboratories, the six-story project will also be among the tallest mass timber structures in the wider Pennsylvania region.
Photo Courtesy: Buro Happold
For Quinnipiac Universityโsย Mount Carmel Campus in Hamden, Conn., the new health-centeredย multipurposeย facility is designed with extensive recreational facilities, an updatedย wellness center,ย several fitness studios and outdoor terraces with aย retractable wall opening to the exterior space. Aย key consideration in theย projectโs design — bringing the outdoors in and connecting surroundingย naturalย areas — is considered essential to well-being. In line with this goal, theย project is designed toย achieve LEED Gold certification, including itsย incorporation of mass timber in an innovative structuralย design.
Climateย Leadership & Timber Buro Happoldโs focus on mass timber isย further demonstrated in its recent presentations, given toย select audiencesย nationally, on โMass Timber and Reducing Embodied Carbon.โย Also of note isย their upcomingย white paper on sustainability in the aviation sector, with a central case studyย in theย firmโs research: an unusually large-scale mass timber structure at theย Portland International Airport.ย Through design work and field study, Buroย Happold illustrates and advocates for the benefits ofย vertically integratedย sourcing, design-assist delivery, and sustainable sourcing of naturalย materials.ย While the production andย implementation of structures made with steel and concrete emit carbon atย highย levels, mass timber represents significant amounts of captured carbon and canย be used eitherย exclusively or in combination with these more traditionalย mediums. By opting for mass timber overย traditional systems, the engineeringย team can commit to maximum sustainability from the onset of aย project. That hasย been a key motivation for Buro Happoldโs decade-plus of work investigatingย designย approaches for engineered wood materials including cross-laminatedย timber (CLT) and glue-laminated timber (glulam). โInnovation in this areaย is one of the most effective tools available to continually reduce embodiedย carbon, and work toward a better built environment that is sustainable in everyย step fromย construction to operations to its longest-term impact on the climate,โย adds Richardson.Photo Courtesy: Buro Happold