Wood In Architecture Issue 1, 2022

NEWS
ASCENT TOPS OFF AS “WORLD’S TALLEST MASS TIMBER
HYBRID TOWER”: NEW LAND ENTERPRISES
Top-down view of Ascent. (Photo: Korb + Associates Architects)
In mid-December 2021, the final mass
timber beams, columns and cross-laminated
timber (CLT) roof were set into place at
downtown Milwaukee’s Ascent construction
site. This makes Ascent 284ft, or roughly
86.5m-tall, making it officially “the world’s
tallest mass timber hybrid tower” at the time
of going to press, according to New Land
Enterprises, the real estate development
and property management company behind
Ascent.
Ascent, a mass timber structure in
Milwaukee, US, broke ground at the
intersection of Kilbourn and Van Buren in
August 2020, with timber construction
commencing in June 2021. Six months later,
general contractor C.D. Smith Construction
topped off the innovative tower at 25 storeys.
The construction process used prefabricated
columns and beams with factory integrated
connectors, making the construction process
approximately 25% faster.
“Today is the culmination of years of
determination and innovation for New
Land and our partners,” commented Tim
Gokhman, managing director of New Land
Enterprises. “Together, we’ve shown that
we can build a more beautiful, sustainable
and precise building faster, paving the way
to transform development in the US. The
crews involved in construction have done
an amazing job and should be very proud of
today’s milestone.”
New Land Enterprises did not set out to break
the world record when the project began
more than three years ago, but after several
design revisions, the height of the tower
climbed four feet taller than the current
record holder in Norway.
“This continues to be a job of amazing
scale as we top off the building and
proceed with the buildout,” said Chris
Johansen, project manager at C.D. Smith
Construction. “We have a veteran-led
team of talented craftsmen that really
took ownership and are always looking
for ways to build faster, smarter, safer.”
With timber installation complete and
glazing mostly up, the project is already
moving into its final phase of interior
buildout. The building’s 259 luxury
apartment homes will feature exposed
timber ceilings and columns, finishes
and appointed fixtures. Ascent will also
offer amenities including an indoor and
outdoor seventh-floor pool, a rooftop
cinema, a golf simulator, and a fitness
centre. It is scheduled to open this
summer. WIA
14 WOOD IN ARCHITECTURE • ISSUE 1 – 2022