The CTBUH 2024 Mass Timber Student Design Competition focused on the use of mass timber in multi-story buildings through the lens of affordable housing that emphasizes rapid development. The only stipulation is that the building should be multi-storied (i.e., not a pavilion or single space), and be designed to maximize the use and expression of mass timber while taking into consideration the 2021 IBC building code and current standards. It is also suggested that participants consider prefabricated components or volumetric modular approach to highlight the benefit of utilizing mass timber for rapid development. See more information on the five winners and projects below.
Kindly sponsored by:
Jixuan Li, Linru Wang, Luyan Li, and Yingxi Dong, Columbia University
In the rapidly developing Bronx neighborhood of Morris Park, there's a growing population and one of the city's largest job centers. However, the area is predominantly industrial with low-density single housing and a persistent shortage of affordable housing over the past decade. To address this need, the design merges a low-carbon footprint with energy efficiency to build a vibrant, eco-conscious community. Featuring 286 units, it utilizes mass timber to promote sustainability and livability.
Marco Zhou, Cal Poly Pomona
For years, Hawaii has been facing a critical teacher shortage. This is due to a dated centralized school district which refuses to change. Along with a high cost of living, it makes for poor retention rate and is inconvenient for teachers to commute to schools. This project is a learning hub accessible by all. Located directly adjacent to schools, it provides a place for teachers to stay. The building adapts to the user’s habits and activities while the user learns about the purpose and functions of the building.
Cindy Duan and Julie Chan, Yale University
This redevelopment of a dilapidated affordable housing project in New Haven, Connecticut represents a significant opportunity to positively transform a key parcel within the city’s West River neighborhood. Drawing inspiration from neighboring houses, the massing is an agglomeration of prefabricated modules of 15ft by 38ft in a ring formation, linked by gallery walkways and topped with gabled roofs. The modules themselves are a kit of parts, providing the possibility to cater to different unit sizes and household types with a single basic module layout.
William Pyle, Yuka Imada, Eduardo Cabrera, Philippe Martel, and Caroline Harris, Columbia University
The site, an abandoned lot nestled between two existing residential buildings, is located in a neighborhood characterized by similar residential structures and architectural styles. To ensure the new building fits within the existing context without overwhelming the neighborhood, the designed six-story structure reaches just over 60 feet, to keep with the height of neighboring buildings. The design features a series of modular CLT units stacked vertically, which can be disassembled, packaged onto flatbed trucks, and transported to the site for assembly and installation.
Olivia Loncar-Bartolini and Rick Schutte, University of Toronto
Prefabulous reimagines modular housing to address North America's urgent housing challenges, utilizing underutilized public school land. This innovative, low-carbon, affordable, and space-efficient building system adapts to various site conditions, optimizing community areas and green spaces. We are proposing a hybrid volumetric approach to shipping where units are assembled off-site designed to meet the sizing constraints of a transport trailer fully protected, and arrive at the site as modular boxes or as panelized systems ready to be hoisted into place.
Fields with an asterisk (*) next to them are required.
View our privacy policyWe're preparing to enhance the CTBUH website. Please take a minute to answer the following questions so we can ensure it delivers the greatest value to you.
* Required