Waechter Architecture proves all-wood construction isn’t niche
In 2022, Ben Waechter, the architect behind Waechter Architecture, received a $124,084 Wood Innovations Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. He focused on his all-wood headquarters in Portland, Oregon, known as the Mississippi Workshop, which measures 9,550 square feet and was completed in the same year. This building features pre-engineered spruce panels from KLH in Austria, connected using routed half-laps and bolts. Waechter collaborated with a team that included William Smith, Alexis Coir, and Judson Moore, alongside KPFF Engineering and the University of Oregon’s College of Design, to develop three mass timber prototypes. A study showed that the joinery worked similarly to solid walls, despite some sound issues. Waechter aims to prove that all-wood structures are practical for various types of buildings.
Key facts
- Ben Waechter received a $124,084 Wood Innovations Grant from the USDA Forest Service in 2022.
- Waechter Architecture's headquarters, the Mississippi Workshop, is a 9,550-square-foot all-wood building in Portland, Oregon.
- The building uses pre-engineered spruce panels from Austria's KLH, shipped in 45-foot containers.
- Waechter's team designed three mass timber prototypes: micro-residence, office building, and civic building.
- The University of Oregon's Energy Studies in Buildings Lab conducted blow tests and thermal imaging.
- Acoustics were poor due to sound flanking through mass timber walls and concrete floors.
- The firm successfully challenged fire codes to create a precedent for all-wood construction.
- Waechter aims to prove all-wood construction is viable and accessible for most buildings.
Entities
Artists
- Ben Waechter
- William Smith
- Alexis Coir
- Judson Moore
- Randy Gragg
Institutions
- Waechter Architecture
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
- Renzo Piano Workshop
- Allied Works
- KLH
- KPFF Engineering
- University of Oregon's College of Design
- University of Oregon's Energy Studies in Buildings Lab
- Drawings Studio
- Artefactorylab
- AN
- Design Portland
Locations
- Portland, Oregon
- Oregon
- British Columbia
- Austria