Writer: Ryan Gandolfo
2 min read November 2022 – It seems like everywhere you look there are cranes in the sky in Nashville — an important economic indicator for the state capital’s growth. And as developers and construction companies look to build the future of Music City, interest in mass timber is rising to new heights.
Mass timber refers to the process of cross-layering softwood boards and applying adhesives to increase strength. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, the United States has constructed or begun the design work on around 800 mass timber buildings — a drop in the bucket for the estimated $1.59 trillion construction industry.
“We have not built a mass timber building as of yet but we are in the pre-construction phase for a project that’s going to have several mass timber buildings as a part of it,” David Frazier, CEO of Hardaway Construction, told Invest: via Zoom.
Hardaway Construction has been focusing heavily on the multifamily sector, recently finishing work on the 314-unit Apex Marathon Village, and is underway on several other projects at different stages of construction. Multifamily residences and mass timber are a natural fit, as mass timber technology, first developed in Europe in the 1990s, is best suited for low- to midrise buildings much like those in many Nashville neighborhoods.
“It’s relatively new in Nashville in terms of being a popular product to use but as I drive around town, I’m seeing it more and more. I’m really excited to be part of a mass timber project and see how it works,” Frazier said.
The opportunities that mass timber presents versus its carbon-heavy counterparts, such as steel and concrete, are abundant, from better durability to energy efficiency and fire resistance. And of course, from a design perspective, there’s an added value.
“The most exciting thing about 1030 Music Row is that the building is constructed with mass timber. Not only is it more sustainable and beautiful but it offers one-of-a-kind acoustics for an office setting. And now we’re doing several other mass timber projects including a honky tonk on Broadway and the new offices for the Community Foundation,” said Mary Roskilly, partner and principal of Tuck-Hinton Architecture & Design.
Designed by Tuck-Hinton’s Curtis Lesh and team, the five-story, 112,292-square-foot 1030 Music Row is one of the first mass-timber-constructed office buildings in the Nashville market — a fitting touch to draw in tenants from creative industries.
One of the main challenges is how city planning in Nashville and across the United States will be able to adapt and incorporate new building codes for mass timber.
“There is so much development going on that it’s hard for the planning and codes departments to keep up with the demand. With mass timber, for example, the city is eager to embrace it but the codes in place right now only let you build so tall so it limits when we can use it. We are missing a great opportunity if we can’t adopt the tools that other cities are using to allow it to be used more liberally,” noted Roskilly.
In California, recently enacted building codes allow for mass timber structures up to 18 stories, and earlier this year, the world’s tallest mass timber hybrid building opened its doors in Milwaukee — a $125 million, 25-story hybrid high-rise building called Ascent.
While Nashville doesn’t appear to have any upcoming plans to set new records for timber structures, the technology is making headway in a city that rewards forward-thinking and sustainability.
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