Join us for coffee as we summarize the latest research and trends related to mass timber products and design and construction techniques. Not only is mass timber both sustainable and beautiful in comparison to conventional building materials, but it is also timely as an innovative market growing across the U.S. Lake|Flato and Turner Construction will share more about the status of mass timber in the U.S. as well as in Texas. 

The new Business and Humanities District at Trinity University consists of three separate structures directly linked to adjacent STEM and Library programs. Lake|Flato and Turner Construction adapted two of these structures, originally designed by mid-century modernist O’Neil Ford. A new building, Dicke Hall, was sited to unify the buildings around a central courtyard and historic grove of live oak trees. The structural design heritage of Trinity’s campus inspired the heavy timber construction which integrates the new building into the proportions and scale of the campus and creates a warm and welcoming interior environment that is connected to nature.

This is a construction site tour. The building will have recently topped out – allowing for tour attendees to view the mass timber structure of the building in an exposed state.

After the tour, we will debrief on the benefits of wood and the economics, logistics, and relevancy of mass timber as a sustainable material. We will consider why mass timber made sense for this building (in terms of context, beauty, and sustainability); how teams can leverage the benefits of mass timber construction (in terms of construction tolerances, potential cost savings, and speed of erection); and what strategies are recommended for a successful design and construction process that leverages mass timber (in terms of assembling the right team, sourcing suppliers, and discovering efficiencies).

The first mass timber office building in Texas, this LEED-certified structure is comprised of five stories of DLT (dowel-laminated timber) over one story of concrete. Exposed floor and roof decks create a richness found only from natural products, and welcoming timber columns, beams and ceilings bring a calming charm and warmth to the workspace. The Soto, Spanish for a grove of trees or small forest, represents the building’s material origin and its location a stone’s throw from the San Antonio River. Following the tour, attendees are invited to enjoy views of San Antonio while networking with other attendees.

This is a tour of a completed mass timber building. Tour guides will delve into the technical aspects of successfully delivering a multi-story mass timber building.