ACME

Timber Lofts

ACME Timber Lofts proposes a new model of urban construction, in which mass timber additions to the existing building fabric can simultaneously increase the city’s density, improve buildings’ environmental performance, preserve regional forest ecosystems, and transform urban centers from CO2 sources to valuable carbon sinks . ACME Timber Lofts will leverage the structural capacity and assembly efficiencies of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels in constructing a vertical addition to the existing masonry building at 33 Crown. Constructed of perpendicular layers of softwood dimensional lumber, each 8’ wide panel can span up to 56’ and measure up to 12” in thickness depending on the number of lamellae. Unlike concrete and steel assemblies, which are either prohibitively heavy to produce such large panels or require significant on-site construction time, industrially manufactured timber products represent an innovation in urban construction perfectly suited for dense, mid-rise North American cities. Prefabricated timber panels can be easily transported from regional manufacturing hubs to urban centers, require small work crews for handling and construction, and can be assembled with screwdrivers and wrenches.