Journal 7: Catalyst Building / Michael Green Architecture

 


MGA is known for implementing high-rise timber structures, and Catalyst Building is their Spokane in the U.S. project. Completed in 2020, the project is the first office tower in the state of Washington to be built with cross-laminated timber. It is seeking zero energy and zero-carbon certification from the International Living Future Institute, making it one of the largest buildings in North America to meet both criteria.

The project team's goal was to design and construct a large wooden building that could potentially exceed the performance of steel and concrete. The CLT panels used in the building were sourced from the local working forest, harvested with reasonable ecological practices, and manufactured 15 miles from the site. 

A life cycle assessment (LCA) of the building concluded that the carbon storage of the wood almost offset the carbon impact of the building. The project proves that sustainable results and new construction methods can be combined with more traditional metrics, affordability, operational efficiency, and tenant comfort. In addition, by being built in wood, the building can achieve a design life of 75 years by reducing rainwater collection, reducing water use, using passive housing-standard envelope design and durable material application.

As far as I am concerned, I believe that such large wooden buildings will be one of the important measures for the sustainability of built-up areas in future urban centers. Wood is the only carbon-neutral building material that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and actually sequester the carbon in buildings when harvested in a responsible way. The wood products used can store large amounts of carbon dioxide - which is equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions. This undoubtedly relieves the pressure on the environment caused by excessive carbon dioxide emissions caused by too many vehicles in the city center.

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