A new student housing development near Ohio State University in Columbus set a mass timber record.
A consortium of design and construction firms have topped out Intro Columbus, a 13-story mass timber student housing building, according to an announcement shared with Construction Dive. The team reached the milestone roughly 10 weeks ahead of its original November target date, according to the release.
The 158-foot-tall, 242,000-square-foot structure is the tallest mass timber student housing project in the U.S., according to a project fact sheet from design firm DLR Group, and will include 186 units when complete.
By using glulam columns and beams, along with cross-laminated timber panels, the team was able to reach construction speeds of two-and-a-half floors every two to three weeks, per DLR. Crews installed 44 CLT panels per day, according to the announcement.
The project broke ground on Sept. 8, 2025, one year to the day of the structure’s topping out, according to DLR. Because the project topped out ahead of schedule, that has let the crew begin work on interior framing and MEP rough-in along with exterior wall panel and window installation on lower floors.
“The erection went about as smoothly as you could ask for,” said Shane Warner, Elford Construction superintendent, in the announcement. “We had a great team, a tight sequence, and a lot of people who knew exactly where they needed to be.”
The timber, sourced domestically from Alabama, also bears environmental benefits. It will sequester 1,128 metric tons of carbon compared to a steel and concrete design, per DLR.
Mass timber is not solely relegated to housing construction. As steel prices have climbed, contractors are turning to timber to help them build data centers, Skanska experts said during a Sept. 10 webinar.
Elford Construction, a Columbus-based builder, served as the general contractor on the job. Other participants include Chicago-based Forefront Structural Engineers; Dothan, Alabama-based mass timber manufacturer SmartLam North America; and Columbus-based property manager Coastal Ridge.
The construction team is targeting a 2027 completion, per the fact sheet.
