Milwaukee’s proposed 25-story Ascent tower sounds like a conventional housing project. Scheduled to open in September 2022, It offers 250+ apartments with beautiful views of downtown Milwaukee and Lake Michigan. But one thing sets it apart from other housing towers in the U.S. — it’s supposed to be the world’s tallest timber tower.

Why timber?

Firms working on timber construction believe that compared to typical construction materials like steel and concrete, timber is easier and cheaper to use, and more durable in the long run. The best part: It could benefit the environment.

“Mass timber construction [a method of using timber for construction] requires 90% less construction traffic, 75% fewer workers on-site, and is 25% faster than traditional construction. All of these reductions factor into reduced emissions associated with the construction process,” Tim Gokhman of New Land Enterprises, the team behind the Ascent tower, told NextCity.

While using timber construction to save the environment sounds counterintuitive, an increasing number of timber buildings constructed in the United States in the last few years are proving otherwise.

Construction is typically one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions. According to the recent Global Status report, building and construction are responsible for more than 35% of all carbon emissions in the world, 40% in the United States. This number is estimated to nearly double by 2050 as millions of housing and commercial buildings are constructed each year.

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