Tallest Mass Timber Building in Denver to Break Ground in 2023

Denver-based architecture office Tres Birds has announced that Denver’s tallest mass timber building is planned to break ground in July 2023, Arch Daily reports. The 12-story building is named Return to Form, and its structural system uses mass timber, a new technology that utilizes small-diameter trees from sustainably managed forests. The mass timber structure is comprised of wood panels that are glued and laminated together. This provides not only strength and stability but also fire resistance. The project is the result of a competition, the 2022 Mass Timber Competition: Building to Net-Zero, in which Tres Birds and the development team won. The building features 84 dwelling units of various sizes. The ground floor houses facilities such as a café, lobby, gym, and co-working spaces for the building residents. A rooftop deck and on-site parking complete the list of amenities. The mass timber structure will be made from Douglas fir from the Pacific Northwest. The building is designed with exposed wood for the walls and ceilings. The large windows will slide open. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, only a small percentage of the building is made with concrete.