Mass Timber
Baltic Pointe, Utah’s first all-wood commercial office building in Utah.
3 min.
“Our hope is that Gardner sets a new precedent in Utah for prioritizing the use of renewable natural resources in construction.”
— Ryan Bevan, President of Construction at Gardner
Why Wood?
Because nature knows best.
When commercial buildings use steel and concrete construction, they are supporting two industries that contribute 11% of all CO2 in the atmosphere. In contrast, trees absorb carbon as they grow, drawing CO2 out of the atmosphere. When trees are harvested from well-managed, sustainable forests, they are a very green building material.
The U.S. Forest Service granted Baltic Pointe $250,000 through its Wood Innovations Grants, which provide funding to expand innovative uses of wood, including as a construction material in commercial buildings.
“Part of Gardner’s mission is to discover more sustainable ways to build. To do this, we need to venture from the status quo and embrace new innovations and building materials.”
— Christian Gardner, CEO of Gardner Group
Baltic Pointe Building Basics
- 5 stories, plus two levels of structured parking
- 136,000 square feet
- Mass Timber type: cross-laminated timber glulam columns and beams with cross-laminated timber floor panel
- Two-story atrium lobby
- Large outdoor patio with pickleball court
- An all-electric highly efficient mechanical system
- Energy modeling was used to design a building that will be 52% more efficient than an average building in Utah
- Located in Draper, Utah with expansive views of the Wasatch Front, the Salt Lake Valley and the Oquirrh Mountains
Baltic Pointe In The Press
Mass Timber Appeal
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Mass timber: A new era of sustainable construction
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Mass Timber Building Draws Interest in Utah
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Utah’s first large-scale mass-timber building signals new trend in sustainable construction
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Gardner Brings Mass Timber Construction To Utah
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“We have had the pleasure of working on different spec office buildings with Gardner and know they are a league apart in wanting to contribute to sustainability, but also create something unique and beautiful in our market.”
— Marbe Agee, Principal, Method Studio
Advantages of Mass Timber
Lower Carbon Emissions
When wood is used to frame a structure, it replaces steel and concrete — materials that create a lot of atmospheric carbon in production.
Fire Resistant
Mass Timber structures meet fire code since the fire chars the exposed wood forming an insulating barrier to protect from interior damage — the same way redwood trees resist forest fires.
Benefits of Prefabrication
Components are prefabricated and shipped to the site and then lifted into place like a giant jigsaw puzzle. There is a lot less on-site work, which reduces construction traffic and makes for faster construction times and better-quality control.
Natural Design
The wood framing doubles as interior finishes, lowering finishing costs. Occupants’ well-being is also boosted with an environment immersed in exposed wood, abundant sunlight and mountain view. These attributes can lead to faster leasing at premium rates.
Energy Efficiency
Beyond its reduced embodied carbon footprint achieved through the use of mass timber, Baltic Pointe’s advanced mechanical systems and building envelope design will allow it to operate 52% more efficiently than the average office building in Utah.