Five projects take home top honors as part of CTBUH's 2024 Mass Timber Student Design Competition

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has just named five winners for the 2024 Mass Timber Student Design Competition. Teams from four universities in the U.S. and Canada were chosen for their ability to reflect on the meaning of tall buildings in modern societies. 

Each winning design was considered also for its capable use of prefabricated components or volumetric modular approaches in such a way that highlighted the benefits of utilizing mass timber for rapid development. This year's competition focused mainly on the use of mass timber in multi-story buildings through the lens of affordable housing that emphasizes rapid development.

In their competition brief, CTBUH noted: "Participants should engage with the exploration and resolution of the synergistic relationship between a tall building and its urban setting; how that tall building can be inspired by the cultural, physical, and environmental aspects of its site; how the program of the building is influenced by the micro and macro site/urban conditions; and how the building responds to global issues. Proposals should show evidence of a clear understanding of how considerations of structure, environment, servicing, etc. are as vital to the success of a tall building as the form, materials, aesthetics, etc."

Three others from the University of Pennslyvania, the University of Oregon, and the University of Maryland, College Park were also given Honorable Mention designations.

1st Place - 'T-LINE' by Jixuan Li, Linru Wang, Luyan Li, and Yingxi Dong of Columbia University

Jury description: "In the rapidly developing Bronx neighborhood of Morris Park, there's a growing population and one of the city's largest job centers. However, the area is predominantly industrial with low-density single housing and a persistent shortage of affordable housing over the past decade. To address this need, the design merges a low-carbon footprint with energy efficiency to build a vibrant, eco-conscious community. Featuring 286 units, it utilizes mass timber to promote sustainability and livability."

2nd Place - 'Live, Laugh, Learn' by Marco Zhou of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Description: "For years, Hawaii has been facing a critical teacher shortage. This is due to a dated centralized school district which refuses to change. Along with a high cost of living, it makes for poor retention rate and is inconvenient for teachers to commute to schools. This project is a learning hub accessible by all. Located directly adjacent to schools, it provides a place for teachers to stay. The building adapts to the user’s habits and activities while the user learns about the purpose and functions of the building."

3rd Place - 'Green Gables' by Cindy Duan and Julie Chan of Yale University

Description: "This redevelopment of a dilapidated affordable housing project in New Haven, Connecticut represents a significant opportunity to positively transform a key parcel within the city’s West River neighborhood. Drawing inspiration from neighboring houses, the massing is an agglomeration of prefabricated modules of 15ft by 38ft in a ring formation, linked by gallery walkways and topped with gabled roofs. The modules themselves are a kit of parts, providing the possibility to cater to different unit sizes and household types with a single basic module layout."

4th Place - '131 W 133rd St.' by William Pyle, Yuka Imada, Eduardo Cabrera, Philippe Martel, and Caroline Harris of Columbia University

Description: "The site, an abandoned lot nestled between two existing residential buildings, is located in a neighborhood characterized by similar residential structures and architectural styles. To ensure the new building fits within the existing context without overwhelming the neighborhood, the designed six-story structure reaches just over 60 feet, to keep with the height of neighboring buildings. The design features a series of modular CLT units stacked vertically, which can be disassembled, packaged onto flatbed trucks, and transported to the site for assembly and installation."

5th Place - 'PreFabulous' by Olivia Loncar-Bartolini and Rick Schutte of the University of Toronto

Description: "Prefabulous reimagines modular housing to address North America's urgent housing challenges, utilizing underutilized public school land. This innovative, low-carbon, affordable, and space-efficient building system adapts to various site conditions, optimizing community areas and green spaces. We are proposing a hybrid volumetric approach to shipping where units are assembled off-site designed to meet the sizing constraints of a transport trailer fully protected, and arrive at the site as modular boxes or as panelized systems ready to be hoisted into place."