Think of a high-tech version of Lincoln Logs, and that begins to scratch the surface of the engineering behind the tallest mass timber structure in the world, Ascent Milwaukee.
The Ascent opened with plenty of attention in 2022 as a multi-purpose high-rise in downtown Milwaukee with 259 high-end apartments and first-floor office and restaurant space.
The 25-story structure is one of the newer buildings in the city’s revitalized downtown area. But the words “mass timber” still grab plenty of attention two years later as an emerging technology.
For some, the idea of living or working in a structure made mostly of wood seems odd. “What happens if there is a fire?” is a common and even expected question for the owners and facility managers of the building, New Land Enterprises of Milwaukee. But gradually, the idea of using mass timber to construct buildings – and increasingly more in the commercial and institutional facilities world – is gaining momentum.
“Under the same circumstances as fire, wood will char on the outside, and metal will eventually warp and bend,” says Rick Vernon, the maintenance supervisor at Ascent. “It’s also proving itself to be better for the environment.”
As many organizations work to reduce their carbon footprints, some are turning to mass timber as an option for new construction. For Ascent, the wood arrives on site pre-manufactured as solid wood timber with holes for screws already inserted before arriving on site.
After drawing up the plans with the help of building information modeling software, the beams and columns were prepared by a timber company in Austria. The materials were transported overseas via ships to the Milwaukee harbor, where they stayed until construction workers were ready to install the parts. Construction was slowed due to the pandemic before the building opened in the summer of 2022.
“Every single column, every single beam, every single piece of cross-laminated timber has a piece marked to it, which coincides with the shop drawings,” says Chris Johanson, the project manager from C.D. Smith Construction in a video describing the process. “Everything on the job has a specific place to go.”
In addition to the environmental benefits of mass timber, its use can also cut down on labor costs and production time.
The first six floors of Ascent – which includes five stories for parking – needed 40-60 workers to complete, Vernon says, and required time for the concrete to cure. Floors 7 to 25 required only 12 workers to assemble the building, a task that included driving 122,000 screws measuring 3 feet long to connect the beams, columns, floors and ceilings. It was important that the building parts were perfectly produced so as not to slow down construction time.
One of the more unique aspects of the structure is the massive beams that comprise the building, which are less wide as the building grows in height. The beams on the lower floors are 3 feet by 3 feet and are reduced to 16 inches by 18 inches closer to the top.
New Land is pursuing LEED Silver for Existing Buildings designation for Ascent. The site provides residents with all the amenities one would expect for a luxury apartment building. In addition to a reduced carbon footprint, Ascent succeeds in the areas that LEED requires, such as strong indoor air quality, high walking scores with nearby access to public transportation, bicycle parking, medical service, groceries, etc., and safer technologies such as heated sidewalks, a benefit during the cold Wisconsin winters.
The carbon benefits of the building are equivalent to taking 2,400 cars off the road for a year, says Bob Skaggs, director of maintenance — new construction for New Land says.
Ascent may soon have company in the Milwaukee skyline for mass timber buildings. A 55-story building is being planned as part of the city’s Marcus Performing Arts center and would be constructed primarily of “thick, compressed multi-layered panels of solid wood,” according to a CNN report.
Dave Lubach is executive editor of the facilities market.
