Ingrained Framework in Oregon, USA

All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure

Ingrained Framework in Oregon, USA

All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure

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    All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

    Framework, expressed timber core.

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    All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

    Framework, urban and rural connection.

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    All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

    Framework, structural model.

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    All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

    Framework and exterior rendering.

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    All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

    Framework, lobby with exposed wood and tall wood exhibition.

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    All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

    Framework, affordable housing component.

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    All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

    Framework, timber core, framing, and floor.

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    All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

    Framework, fire testing.

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    All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

    Framework, exposed two-hour-rated connection.

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    All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

    Framework, CLT rocking wall testing.

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    LafargeHolcim Awards 2017 for North America prize handover ceremony, Chicago

    Winners of an Acknowledgement prize for the design of an All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure in Portland, Oregon (l-r): Maik Strecker, Head Growth & Innovation North America, LafargeHolcim; winners Anyeley Hallova, project^ and Thomas F. Robinson, LEVER Architecture, both Portland, Oregon; and John Stull, CEO Cement LafargeHolcim US.

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    LafargeHolcim Awards 2017 for North America prize handover ceremony, Chicago

    Presentation to the winning teams of the four Acknowledgement prizes (l-r): Vivian Kuan and Mitchell Joachim of Terreform ONE; Maik Strecker, Head Growth & Innovation North America, LafargeHolcim; Anyeley Hallova, project^ and Thomas F. Robinson, LEVER Architecture;Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee of Johnston Marklee & Associates; John Stull, CEO Cement LafargeHolcim US; Stephen Luoni, University of Arkansas; Jury member Forrest Meggers, Professor at the School of Architecture and Andlinger Center for Energy & Environment at Princeton University, NJ; and Marty Matlock, University of Arkansas.

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    All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

    Thomas F. Robinson, architect, LEVER Architecture, Portland, OR, USA.

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    All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

    Anyeley Hallova, developer, project^, Portland, OR, USA.

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    All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

    Anyeley Hallova, developer, project^, Portland, OR, USA.

  • Awards Acknowledgement prize 2017–2018 North America
This design proposal entitled “framework” for an all-timber high-rise load-bearing structure intends to encourage widespread use of a carbon sequestering technology, while strengthening local economies in rural communities by increasing wood building product demand.

By Thomas F. Robinson - LEVER Architecture, Portland, OR, USA; Anyeley Hallova - project^, Portland, OR, USA

Because high-rise wood structures are not prescriptively allowed in the USA code, the “Framework” project undertook extensive fire, structural, seismic, and acoustic testing to demonstrate the equivalent performance of steel and concrete. The tests included the first successful two-hour fire rated Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) connection.

Results from this performance-based design path will be made public to spur widespread acceptance of tall wood structures in USA building codes. The project demonstrates innovation with respect to mass timber and seismic performance. Framework will have a 40-meter post-tensioned CLT rocking wall core – the tallest in the world – that will resist damage from an earthquake and allow the building to remain occupiable even after a major seismic event.

Ingrained Framework in Oregon, USA

Project authors

  • All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA
    Thomas F. Robinson

    LEVER Architecture

  • All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA
    Anyeley Hallova

    project^

All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

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. Holcim Awards 2017 Jury for North America

In the years following Framework, several projects have emerged that rely on lessons learnt. One example, the Ascent in Milwaukee (USA) by the same architecture firm, was certified as the “tallest mass timber building in the world” in 2022.

LEVER Architecture argues that real-world projects offer a research opportunity which, in turn, can alter the wider ecosystem of practice. Tellingly, Framework has already impacted since its inception new and amended codes for mass timber construction, including the 2021 International Building Code (IBC).

Project updates

October 12, 2017 | Holcim Awards 2017 winners for North America | Chicago, IL, USA

High-rise prototype wins Acknowledgement prize

LafargeHolcim Awards 2017 for North America prize handover ceremony, Chicago

Sustainability has become a core principle of architecture and construction in North America. One of three Holcim Awards Acknowledgement prize winners in the region went to LEVER Architecture and project^ in Portland, OR, who designed a prototype high-rise completely made of wood for their city.

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June 24, 2017 | Regional Jury Report - North America | Vancouver, BC, Canada

“A forerunner that will allow the building industry to adapt to new standards”

All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

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 intends to encourage widespread use of 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.

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March 21, 2017 | Project Submission | Portland, OR, USA

Resource and environmental performance

All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

Framework encourages a paradigm shift for sustainable construction in the USA. The project uses timber, sourced regionally from sustainability-managed forests, as its building-wide structural system. Wood has environmental advantages over traditional materials like concrete and steel, because it absorbs and stores carbon. Demand for wood products perpetuates a beneficial cycle where trees are transformed into carbon sequestering building materials and then replanted for future harvest.

By demonstrating the feasibility of tall wood buildings in the USA, and creating a path for their regulatory acceptance, Framework promises to spur nationwide adoption of an environmentally responsible construction method. Framework is expected to offset 1,654 metric tons of carbon emissions.

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Related information

Related information

Location

pin Portland, OR, USA

Portland, OR, USA

News

All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

Project Update

Framework broke new ground with mass timber high-rise in Portland

Portland, Oregon, USA

Holcim Awards 2017 for North America prize handover ceremony, Chicago, IL, USA.

Winners of the LafargeHolcim Awards 2017 for North America

Building even better with sustainable design

Chicago, USA

All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

Regional Jury Report – North America

“A forerunner that will allow the building industry to adapt to new standards”

Vancouver, Canada

All-timber high-rise load-bearing structure, Portland, OR, USA

Statements on the sustainability of the project by the author

Project Entry 2017 for North America

Portland, OR, USA

Videos

“Creating a local market for a local resource” – Sustainable design by Thomas F. Robinson

The first timber high-rise in the USA is sustainable because it opens up a local market for the local resource of timber says architect Thomas F. Robinson of LEVER Architecture.

“Creating a local market for a local resource” – Sustainable design by Thomas F. Robinson

The first timber high-rise in the USA is sustainable because it opens up a local market for the local resource of timber says architect Thomas F. Robinson of LEVER Architecture.

Ingrained Framework: Acknowledgement 2017 North America

Intended for realization in the city of Portland, Oregon, the design recognizes timber as an important local resource, acknowledging the region’s longstanding tradition in wood construction.

Ingrained Framework: Acknowledgement 2017 North America

Intended for realization in the city of Portland, Oregon, the design recognizes timber as an important local resource, acknowledging the region’s longstanding tradition in wood construction.