The Design Opportunity of Timber

SGA, an architecture, planning, construction, and virtual and interior design practice is exploring the use of timber for construction in research and life sciences developments.

Partnering with Thornton Tomasetti, BR+A, Consigli, and Code Red Consultants, as well as a life sciences developer, SGA will feature timber in a nine-story building offering a rich research environment, and in a four-story, amenity-rich, hospitality-inspired space.

Thornton Tomasetti said that the use of timber would result in a 40 percent reduction of embodied carbon compared to a steel structure, and thus would also allow for a smaller construction force on-site allowing for overall lower emissions. Encapsulating the majority of the building’s structure in timber allows for materials like steel to be used sparingly.

The proposed benefits of mass timber, however, are lengthy. One benefit is the lessened production of greenhouse gas emissions compared to that of steel or concrete; which accounts for 15 percent of worldwide emissions.

Another benefit is that timber acts as a ‘carbon sink,’ due to the carbon in the wood sustaining the lifecycle of the building (referred to as biogenic carbon), though it is not included in a life cycle assessment.

The idea of using mass timber is centered around cost and timeline reduction efficiencies, limiting embodied carbon, improving construction performance, introducing biophilic elements into a space, promoting well-being, increasing the opportunity for destruction, adhering to industry standard dimensions for laboratory bay spacing, actionable accommodation for ventilation systems, and meeting structural and vibrational control guidelines.

Though timber may appear to not comply with fire codes, it can be due to the thickness of the beams. This allows only the outer layers to be affected, leaving the overall structure to be harmed less.