{"id":901651,"date":"2023-09-26T16:58:51","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T22:58:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=901651"},"modified":"2023-09-26T16:58:55","modified_gmt":"2023-09-26T22:58:55","slug":"cross-laminated-timber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/cross-laminated-timber\/","title":{"rendered":"1 De Haro: A Case Study on Successful Cross-Laminated Timber Design and Construction in San Francisco"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cait Horner, Allan Van Vliet and Adam Weaver | Gravel2Gavel<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the intersection of San Francisco\u2019s SOMA, Potrero Hill and Showplace Square districts, a first-of-its-kind building offers an example of the potential widespread success of mass timber construction in the United States. 1 De Haro, a 134,000-square-foot, 4-story office and light industrial project built by Bay Area developer\u00a0SKS Partners\u00a0is not only the first cross-laminated timber<\/a> (CLT) building in the San Francisco, it is also the first multistory mass timber building of its type to be fully executed in California and the first CLT project in the United States to be delivered via railways. We recently sat down with Yvonne Fisher and Lee Ishida of SKS to discuss the unique design process, marketing success and overall industry buzz surrounding one of their latest\u00a0projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this year, we discussed the\u00a0advantages of mass timber construction, including its durability, carbon sequestration and natural aesthetic. Those advantages are apparent in the completed construction of 1 De Haro. Its construction tells the story of innovation with respect to a new building material and a new building process within San Francisco. The site sits on soft soil, invoking important initial design conversations on how to manage weight\u2014a challenge that SKS, in connection with the architecture, engineering and construction teams tasked with bringing SKS\u2019 vision to life, met by turning to one of the world\u2019s oldest building materials\u2014wood. CLT utilizes \u201can old technology applied in new ways, in a market that hasn\u2019t done it before. That is what makes it special,\u201d says Lee Ishida, Senior Project Manager for SKS. \u201cThis isn\u2019t your local Home Depot lumber.\u201d Far from Home Depot lumber, the timber used to construct 1 De Haro was sourced from black spruce harvested from the boreal forest of Quebec, Canada. After touring the factory where the CLT was produced, the team was confident that the CLT method met the their structural integrity and light weight requirements (CLT as used in 1 De Haro\u2019s construction is nearly\u00a030 percent<\/a>\u00a0lighter than comparable concrete construction), with the added benefits of sustainability, faster construction time and an overall aesthetically beautiful design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SKS also worked closely with the San Francisco Planning Department and Fire Department, coordinating with them on over 50 inspections to ensure the City was sufficiently educated on CLT and that the project was in compliance and met all standards of safety\u2014from fire rating to structural soundness. While 1 De Haro was the first of its kind in San Francisco, it certainly won\u2019t be the last. \u201cSan Francisco is a progressive city, and they want to embrace projects that are environmentally positive and less risky due to California\u2019s heightened fire risk,\u201d says Yvonne Fisher, Director of Asset Management for SKS. SKS blazed the trail with the 1 De Haro project, and their hope is to have created a path for other developers to construct new CLT projects in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While everyone was curious about the success of building with CLT, from city government to the carpenters\u2019 union, the education and partnership did not come to fruition until SKS presented the 1 De Haro project. This close partnership has \u201cabsolutely streamlined the path for others\u201d looking to work with CLT in San Francisco, according to Fisher. Because this method hadn\u2019t been implemented before in San Francisco, or at this scale in California, SKS required its general contractor to develop a training protocol for installation, which has since been utilized by the San Francisco carpenters\u2019 union for other Bay Area projects, benefiting the industry as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any development project is only as good as its marketability to investors and potential tenants, and 1 De Haro excels on both fronts. It\u2019s one thing to build it, but only when it\u2019s operational and fully occupied can it be considered a true success. Tenants were immediately drawn to the project both in terms of its sustainability and its flexible framework. \u201cAs soon as we had entitlements, there was really strong interest in the market. We had three tenants that were immediately sending in offers, and the leasing team didn\u2019t have to make any marketing efforts, really,\u201d Fisher says. From an ESG<\/a> perspective, CLT buildings are an easy sell for tenants looking to lighter, brighter, sustainable office spaces that meet their environmental, social and governance goals internally among employees and investors and externally to their clients and customers. Tenants in CLT buildings do more than just speak to sustainability\u2014they embrace it from the ground up. \u201cWe\u2019re in this change in our market right now in the way people are using their office space and hybrid work schedules,\u201d Fisher notes. \u201cMaking your office environment even more welcoming is even more critical, but the space itself has a huge, positive psychological impact.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, 1 De Haro\u2019s success can be defined in part by all its notable firsts and awards:<\/p>\n\n\n\n