Timber Above the City, Innovative Wood Solutions for Vertical Extensions  

This webinar is part of the Wood Structures Academy

Cities need to develop innovatively to meet the immense housing demands of their growing populations. Often, the proposed solution is centered on replacing old with new – with little regard to environmental, social, or cultural impacts of demolishing existing buildings. A novel approach is to build on top of the existing fabric of our cities, dovetailing new and existing. Today, advancements in engineered wood products and digital fabrication technologies have coupled to offer design and construction professionals incredible opportunities to meet these challenges. By using innovative wood systems, that are much lighter than alternative materials, it is possible to realize taller and high performing structures, with lower embodied carbon and environmental impacts.

This AIA accredited continuing education course is tailored for architects and engineers seeking advanced knowledge in the design and implementation of vertical extensions above existing buildings using innovative wood systems. This course delves into the intricacies of overbuild design, exploring the unique challenges and opportunities presented by using light weight wood systems to increase housing density within the existing building stock while maintaining the context and fabric of urban areas. Participants will gain valuable insights into the integration of overbuilds with existing buildings, addressing structural, aesthetic, and regulatory considerations.

Andrew Ruff of Gray Organschi Architecture will present Firehouse 12 and Acme Timber Lofts, two mass timber vertical additions in New Haven’s Ninth Square that utilize mass timber structural and enclosure solutions to create additional residential density in a historic, 19th-century urban neighborhood. Taking advantage of mass timber’s high strength-to-weight ratio and leveraging the benefits of off-site prefabrication, these projects represent a case study for densifying existing cities through the use of engineered wood building systems.

Hickok Cole Architects Tom Corrado will present the firm’s 80 M Street, the first-ever mass timber renovation of a commercial office building in Washington, DC. Located in the city’s Navy Yard district, the project adds 106,000-SF or three-floors of overbuild–constructed primarily of mass timber and glass curtain wall–to the existing seven-story, 289,299-SF concrete building.

The resulting design takes a multidisciplinary approach and combines several construction types to achieve the desired project objectives and deliver a truly one-of-a kind experience. The overbuild consists of two new trophy office levels with exposed natural wood, 16-foot-tall slab-to-slab heights, and an unparalleled access to natural light as well as a third penthouse offering a combination of private offices and shared amenities, including a rooftop terrace.

Randall Walter of Randall Walter Architecture will present a project on mass timber.

At the end of these dynamic presentations, there will be a brief Q&A session to discuss key points from the webinar.

Photo courtesy of Gray Organschi Architecture

Acme Timber Lofts

	Andrew Ruff, is the Research Director at Gray Organschi Architecture, where he leads the firm’s design research into applications of mass timber and bio-based materials in mid-rise, urban buildings. He currently serves as a Critic at the Yale School of Architecture and its Regenerative Building Lab, and is a co-author ofCarbon: A Field Manual for Building Designers.
	Tom Corrado, LEED AP is an Associate Principal and a senior project designer at Hickok Cole, where he works for the firm’s commercial architecture practice. With 20+ years of design experience, his holistic approach emphasizes a synergy between a building’s function and how it’s experienced by its users. A few of Tom’s design interests include urban studies, enhanced placemaking, and how innovations in digital fabrication and material science will drive architecture and design in the 21st century. His most recent obsession is mainstreaming mass timber, a material he feels has the capacity to completely alter the way we design, construct, and experience buildings. He is also working on new prototypes of medical office buildings and incorporating biophilia into the healthcare industry. His most noteworthy projects include 80 M Street, Washington DC’s first mass timber office renovation, Anthem Row, 909 Rose Avenue, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies headquarters. Tom earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Architecture at Clemson University.
	Randall S. Walter, AIA, Partner at Randall Walter, Randall’s current focus is transforming land and buildings to aspire to their highest and best outcomes. Compared to the traditional process where land and buildings are selected by clients to serve their needs, he applies a vertically integrated approach: purchasing, designing, permitting, and building outcomes to fit land and existing structures with sensitive and appropriate results that integrate with their surroundings, while maximizing value and sense of place. Formerly a company steward and the lead architect of the design/build firm Bensonwood, Randall’s focus for the last two decades has been incorporating strategies to use pre-defined components with 3D software for design and construction. The result is an open-built design system that enables flexible and rapid design exploration with predictable (cost, performance, and aesthetic) results. He champions design/build approaches, mass customized strategies, parametric design, and digital fabrication.