A few months after attending a mass timber presentation by a WoodWorks Regional Director, architect Benjamin Kroll, Senior Partner at RDG Planning & Design, called to discuss options for a multistory College of Pharmacy building at the University of Michigan. His office had never designed a mass timber project, and the firm was also considering steel. WoodWorks and Kroll discussed considerations such as heights and areas, fire protection, and concealed spaces, and WoodWorks followed up with some resources.

Later, a representative of the developer also attended a WoodWorks construction management presentation. On the post-event survey, she said the architect had suggested mass timber for this project, and she attended the seminar to learn more about it.

After a delay because of COVID, the project design was finalized as a hybrid structure, with mass timber and steel on the first level and penthouse, and all mass timber on levels two through five. "The College of Pharmacy is a first-of-its-kind mass timber building, and as we were initially exploring the concept, we knew it would be important to find trusted partners who would be there throughout the process,” Kroll said. “WoodWorks provided invaluable insights and not only educated us but also gave us the confidence to realize a shared vision for a sustainable, modern mass timber structure.”