Skanska breaks ground on first mass timber building in Cincinnati

Skanska has broken ground on Cincinnati Public Radio’s planned new mass timber headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio.

When completed in late 2024, the $32 million, 35,000-square-foot building, which will feature two on-air studios, two interview studios, one performance studio, 11,000 square feet of office space and a public gathering area, will be the first two-story mass timber building in the Midwest of the USA.

The HQ’s entire column and beam structure, second floor, roof structure, as well as a selection of interior shear walls and exterior perimeter walls will be made from mass timber.

Rendering of CPR’s new HQ. Image: Skanska

Mass timber, also known as engineered wood, is comprised of layers of compressed wood which create strong, structural load bearing elements which can be structured into panelised components and is designed to have the strength of materials like concrete and steel but is significantly lighter in weight.

CPR said that its new HQ will “serve as a beacon of innovation, housing cutting-edge technologies and sustainable construction methods, with a particular focus on the utilization of Cross Laminated Timber.”

“Mass timber projects are gaining traction throughout the country, including the heartland,” said Dean Lewis, director of mass timber and prefabrication at Skanska. “While most mass timber projects are hybrids in which the lateral system is comprised of steel or concrete, this project’s lateral system is composed of cross-laminated timber shear walls, making it an almost completely mass timber superstructure. I look forward to seeing more mass timber projects in the Midwest, as cities aim to build healthier, more sustainable built environments.”