The implications of mass timber in high-rise buildings with a focus on innovative hotel design

Abstract

In the 21st century, the focus of architecture has moved toward sustainability. Sustainability has become a fundamental aspect of each architecture design and there are several certificates including LEED or Passive House certificate for each building to encourage people and architects to design their projects in a sustainable way. Wood, of course, is one of the most sustainable materials for construction and it can also be recycled after the end of the building’s life cycle. Designing a sustainable passive residential complex made out of timber can be a great solution for energy matters. In the past two decades, architects and engineers have started to increase the use of timber in building constructions, especially for structural systems. Timber has so many advantages as a sustainable, light weighted material to other traditional steel and concrete materials. Also, there is a great history behind using timber as a fundamental material for buildings. For example, the Japanese temple Horyu-ji is a 5 story building that is constructed out of timber and has survived since 603 for so many years. In this project, I aimed to encourage the public to use sustainable materials especially mass timber in construction and trust it. In addition, there is an ongoing demand in Seattle for long-stay units for people who are visiting the city or plan to stay there for a couple of months. They do not technically move to Seattle but they need a place to stay. By designing a sustainable hotel with two types of units: hotel guest rooms and 1-2 bedroom apartments. The hotel also has a gallery and library with exposed mass-timber interiors.