Developed concrete jointed timber frame.

Timber is a widely used material in the construction industry, but it’s yet to have its day in high-rise towers. Benton Johnson set out to change that through SOM’s Timber Tower Research Project. The result was a concrete jointed timber frame that melds reinforced concrete with the carbon-sequestering benefits of cross-laminated timber. Now towers can be constructed primarily with mass timber and secured with concrete and steel joints.

Still in the testing phase, the system’s efficiency could reduce the carbon footprint of a conventional reinforced-concrete and steel building by 60 to 75 percent, SOM estimates.