Project Description
FROM LEVER ARCHITECTURE:
Framework is a 90,000 sf, 12-story, mixed-use project anticipated to be the first timber high-rise in the U.S. The project seeks to be a catalyst that connects sustainable urban development to rural economic growth, regionally and nationally. Framework is supported by a $1.5 million dollar award from the U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition which was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Softwood Lumber Board, and Binational Softwood Lumber Council. The award offsets the costs of testing and peer review necessary to pursue a performance-based project beyond what is permitted in current building codes.
The mixed-use project combines retail and public exhibition on the ground level, with five levels of office and 60-units of affordable housing. Framework’s commercial tenants will be B corporations—businesses certified to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. The housing component of the project accommodates residents earning less than 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI).
Framework is part of a mutually beneficial cycle between natural resources, the rural timber industries that rely on these resources, and the cities served by the completion of these buildings. Demand for tall wood buildings in urban areas drives economic opportunity in rural areas by the creation of jobs and manufacturing of wood products to meet the market need.