The first timber high-rise in the U.S. set for construction in Portland

To some, the idea of timber high-rises is still a contentious issue, with much of the debate focused on aspects of fire safety, but that hasn’t stopped Lever Architecture from designing what will become the first timber high-rise in the United States.

Framework, a 90,000-sf, 12-story mixed-use building, recently became the first timber high-rise in the country to receive a building permit. According to Lever Architecture, the building is “ part of a mutually beneficial cycle between natural resources, the rural timber industries that rely on these resources, and the cities served by the completion of these buildings.”

Rendering courtesy of Lever Architecture.

Retail and public exhibition space will be combined on the ground floor while the rest of the high-rise will comprise five levels of office space and 60-units of affordable housing. The affordable housing component will accommodate residents earning less than 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Meanwhile, the commercial tenants will be B corporations – businesses certified to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

Framework has received a $1.4 million award from the U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition that will offset the costs of testing and peer review necessary to pursue a performance-based project beyond what is permitted in current building codes.

Rendering courtesy of Lever Architecture.

The project is scheduled to begin construction in late 2017 and be completed by late 2018.

Rendering courtesy of Lever Architecture.

Interesting read originally from BDC Network

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