Ascent becomes the World’s Tallest Mass Timber Hybrid Building

On July 20, 2022, CTBUH officials traveled to Milwaukee to declare the 25-story Ascent the World's Tallest Timber-Concrete Hybrid Building. In two of the mass timber categories, the building was the tallest in the world. At 85.4 meters, Mjstrnet in Brumunddal, Norway, certified by CTBUH in 2019, was the previous world's tallest timber building. Ascent is now both the tallest timber building and the tallest concrete-timber hybrid building in the world. The previous tallest concrete-timber hybrid building was the 84-meter HoHo building in Vienna, Austria, which was completed in 2020. Daniel Safarik, director of research and thought leadership, introduced a plaque that will be placed on the façade of the opulent residential building, which rises to a height of 86.6 meters (284 feet). In the CTBUH Research Project Future Timber City: An Awareness and Educational Program for Future, Sustainable, Dense Cities, which is funded by the USDA Forest Service and the Binational Softwood Lumber Council, the project serves as a crucial case study. “Ascent is a very exciting project,” Safarik said. “It is helping advance the conversation about how we build more sustainable and healthy cities, especially in the face of mass urbanization and the increasing effects of climate change.” Tenants started relocating into the project on July 15, and it was prominently covered in the Engineering the Future documentary series episode Timber Skyscraper in the months preceding its completion (streaming on Amazon Prime). Following the formal certification ceremony, Assistant Deputy Secretary Dan Hereth of the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) read a proclamation on behalf of Governor Tony Evers designating the third week of July as Mass Timber Week in the US state of Wisconsin. To enable the construction of larger mass timber projects without jeopardizing safety, the DSPS has been instrumental in pressing revisions to state building codes. This has been a success story of the trials of mass timber construction. While Ascent began construction in August 2020, it took nearly two years of research, testing, planning, and collaboration with external stakeholders to get there. The process brought experts from all over the world together and established a model for tall timber that may help pave the way for future projects. Residents are still able to view and touch about half of Ascent's mass timber construction inside the building, which is another success for the joint efforts of testing and working with DSPS. At the event, Gina Owens, a regional forester with the USDA Forest Service, Alderman Robert Bauman, and Preston Cole, the secretary of the DNR, were among the other business and community leaders who spoke. At the gathering, Tim Gokhman, the CEO of New Land Enterprises, who along with partner Wiechmann Enterprises built Ascent, gave a speech. “We didn’t set out to break records, Gokhman said. We just wanted to create the best experience within the built environment for our residents. Mass timber is faster, more precise, lighter, more sustainable, more beautiful, and supports our commitment to biophilic design. When compared to a similarly sized traditionally constructed concrete building, it is projected that employing mass wood for the structural system reduced construction time by about 25%. With every beam, column, and panel arriving on site prepared for assembly and with holes precisely predrilled to within 1/16-inch (1.5 millimetres), Ascent was constructed using a digital twin model.See also: Bangladeshi Architect Created Tallest Buildings In The WorldLiebherr fast erecting crane 34 K at work on the tallest building in the Benelux region