MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Ascent in Milwaukee’s East Town neighborhood is currently the tallest mass timber building in the world, with competition looming on the horizon.
But all this talk about timber might have you wondering, why the switch from concrete? And is there an increased fire risk involved?
“If you’ve ever built a campfire, if you throw a really large log in, it doesn’t burn all the way through, it just chars on the outside. Now, there’s a process to it, but basically when it chars, it oxidizes and it stops the flow of oxygen and without oxygen, you can’t have fire,” said CEO of Timber + Partners Tim Gokhman.
As for the construction process, these buildings are made by gluing smaller trees together, which is better for carbon capture and forests. These buildings can also be completed faster, more precisely, and with less labor.
“Only wood can do that because only wood can be digitally designed,” said Gokhman.
While mass timber isn’t the solution every time, Gokhman said he believes more mass timber buildings should be constructed in Milwaukee, as well as throughout the United States.
Listen to the entire interview from Wisconsin’s Midday News in the player above.
