The CTBUH 2023-24 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.
CTBUH 2023-24 Mass Timber Student Design Competition Winners
Overview
1st Place
Columbia University
Jixuan Li, Linru Wang, Luyan Li, and Yingxi Dong
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.
2nd Place
Cal Poly Pomona
Marco Zhou
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.
3rd Place
Yale University
Cindy Duan and Julie Chan
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.
4th Place
Columbia University
William Pyle, Yuka Imada, Eduardo Cabrera, Philippe Martel, and Caroline Harris
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.
5th Place
University of Toronto
Olivia Loncar-Bartolini and Rick Schutte
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.
Think Wood
Advances in wood construction reimagine the future of the built environment, combining strength with sustainability. Wood is a natural, renewable building material with a lighter carbon footprint than any other major building material. Think Wood provides commercial, multifamily and single family home design and build resources to architects, developers, and contractors, from continuing education and research to design tools and innovative project profiles.
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