Most wood buildings are low-rise. Timber, when used in taller buildings, is generally limited to interior fit-outs. The raw material, or products made from it, are often imported from afar. Framework, however, would be a 12-storey, 40-meter tall structure sited in Portland, Oregon, a place where locally sourced timber is abundant. It would use timber extensively across different elements, including structure.

Framework was supported by a US$1.5 million award from the U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition. This paid for the costs of testing and peer reviews, deemed necessary to undertake research. The mixed-use design combined retail and public exhibition on the ground floor with five levels of office space and 60 units of affordable housing above. Framework’s target tenants were corporations seeking high standards of social and environmental performance. The housing segment would serve individuals earning below 60% of the Area Median Income.

A ripple effect on local economies

The project drew attention to local sourcing, advocating support for economies in rural communities by increasing demand. At scale, this could potentially transform regions in North America where timber is abundant and readily available.

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).