With the official structural topping-out ceremony on 17 December 2021, Ascent, Milwaukee, reached a critical milestone on its way to claiming the title of  “The World’s Tallest Timber-Concrete Hybrid Building" at 25 stories. This incredible achievement comes after breaking ground in August 2020 and commencing timber erection in June 2021. Six short months and 16 stories of mass timber construction later, the building’s structure is finished. The fit-out of the residential units is expected to take until Summer 2022, when the building will officially open and CTBUH will ratify the height. At that time, an official CTBUH signboard will be added to the building in recognition of this great accomplishment.

As part of CTBUH’s 2021 International Conference, Tim Gohkman (Managing Director, New Land Enterprises) and Jason Korb (Principal Architect, Korb+Associates Architects) both used the direct experiences gained from working on Ascent to present in sessions dedicated to the owner-developer’s perspective and the design and logistical challenges associated with mass timber.

Both sessions concluded with audience question-and-answer periods. The following day, a group from the Conference had the opportunity to tour Ascent under construction. Boris Gokhman, the company founder; Tim Gohkman, and Korb discussed the project with the conference participants, who were able to ask questions about the various stages of construction in process.

The Council will continue to evaluate Ascent, as its research team develops a series of case studies associated with tall timber buildings. These case studies, including Ascent, will be published as part of an ongoing research project, “Future Timber City: An Awareness and Educational Program for Future, Sustainable, Dense Cities,” funded by the USDA Forest Service, and Binational Softwood Lumber Council. 

The Council appreciates the continued support from the Ascent team on its research endeavors and congratulates them for their momentous achievement.