The Architecture / Interiors / Façades expert sub-group convened to investigate the major design considerations and constructability issues around high-rise mass timber buildings. The team underscored the need for empirical, rather than anecdotal data that would support better understanding of the market and design approaches. This would include psychological and biophilic effects of using timber in both interior and exterior applications, as well as carbon footprint and life-cycle data. Participants also called for further study into the modular and volumetric potential of timber construction in the high-rise context. There were some discussion about the feasibility about exposed timber facades, and the participants highlighted that not enough consideration is made towards maintenance and what is allowable by code.

Participants:

• Ariane Dienstag, Founder, Ariane Dienstag sa, Paris, France
• Ryan Flom, Chief Marketing Officer, Think Wood / Softwood Lumber Board, Minneapolis, United States
• Carsten Hein, Associate Director, Structural Engineering, Arup, Berlin, Germany
• Benton Johnson, Director of Structural Engineering, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Chicago, United States
• John Klein, CEO, Generate Technologies and Architecture; Principal Investigator, MIT,Cambridge, United States
• Jason Korb, Principal Architect, Korb + Associates Architects, Milwaukee, United States
• Kasper Kyndesen, Partner, Henning Larsen Architects, Copenhagen, Denmark
• Ethan Martin, Associate, DCI Engineers, Portland, United States
• Nick Milestone, Senior Vice President, Think Wood / Softwood Lumber Board, Belper, Derbyshire, United Kingdom
• Will Miranda, Research Coordinator, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Chicago, United States
• John Mitchell, Associate Partner, Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, Chicago, United States
• Chris Sitzenstock, Director, Fabrication, Sidewalk Labs, Seattle, United States
• Jeff Spiritos, Chair, Future Timber City Steering Committee; Manager, Spiritos Properties LLC, New York City, United States
• Rainer Strauch, Managing Director & CTO, CREE GmbH, Bregenz, Austria
• Steven Ware, Project Leader, Art & Build, Brussels, Belgium
• Andrew Waugh, Director, Waugh Thistleton Architects, London, United Kingdom
• Antony Wood, CEO, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Chicago, United States
• Kai Yang, Mass Timber Project Manager, CadMakers, Vancouver, Canada