The design of “Ingrained Framework” proposes a 12-level building using wood as the principal construction material. Intended for realization in the city of Portland, Oregon, the design recognizes timber as an important local resource, acknowledging the region’s long-standing tradition in wood construction. The project thereby intends to encourage widespread use of a carbon sequestering technology, while strengthening local economies in rural communities by increasing wood building product demand. Though similar structures have been erected in the region, it would be the first all mass timber high-rise in North America, using Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) for all load-bearing structural components, including the building’s stabilizing cores.

Perceiving the project as another successful step in a long series of advances in timber technology, the jury was particularly taken by the extensive fire, structural, seismic, and acoustic testing undertaken to satisfy building code requirements – codes normally designed for steel and concrete structures and not particularly tailored to promote high-rise wood construction. Considering the project’s ecological objectives, the jury questioned the proposed aluminum composite facade, which partially offsets the benefits gained by the wood. This said, the jury appreciated the efforts undertaken to promote timber as a building material, not just for small-scale buildings, but most importantly for high-rise structures as well – a forerunner that will allow the building industry to adapt to new standards.