Hines T3 Partnership building in Minneapolis, a mass timber midrise building illuminated at night viewed from across highway

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Mass Timber: Shattering the Myth of Code Exceptions

Structural timber is in the midst of a renaissance; an ironic trend given that timber is arguably the most ancient of building materials. But new innovations in structural timber design have inspired a range of boundary-pushing plans for the age-old material, including everything from bridges to skyscrapers. Even more crucially, these designs are on the path to realization, acceding to building codes that many (mistakenly) view as restrictive to the point of impossibility.

Entrance to Hines T3 Chicago Office Building

Hines T3 office building, Minneapolis, MN. Photo by Ema Peter.

Among the spate of notable new timber structures is Hines T3 (Timber, Transit, Technology) in Minneapolis, a mass-timber office building completed in 2016. Our team served as architect of record working alongside Michael Green Architecture as design architect. The project, a wide-windowed structure in the city’s downtown, boasts expansive and open floorplates. It shatters the myth that structural timber projects can’t produce the open spaces facilitated by steel structures.

Shortly after the success of the Minneapolis project, we broke ground on Hines T3 West Midtown in Atlanta. Our project team, in partnership with global real estate firm Hines, also plans to continue our collaboration on Hines T3 Goose Island in Chicago.

DLR Group is at the forefront of mass timber design and construction. Each project is an opportunity to show off the uniqueness of the T3 concept, and we are excited to see the West Midtown location begin its construction journey.”

Steve Cavanaugh, AIA, LEED AP Principal, Design Leader

Learn more about the current innovations of and benefits of timber design in ArchDaily.

white dimensional map showing location of new Alpin Center at Texas A&M with red pin drop icon

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The Real Deal

DLR Group Partners with Texas A&M on Academic Center

DLR Group is partnering with Hines for the first mass timber academic building at Texas A&M. The Aplin Center will be an immersive learning laboratory for new university programs in hospitality and retail studies.

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Mass Timber Innovation: The Hospitality Prototype

The world has reached a crucial tipping point around carbon emissions. Could timber construction be the answer for the hospitality industry?

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Biophilia and Mass Timber at Swarthmore College

Our partnership with Swarthmore College for the Dining and Community Commons Project focuses on equitable community and ambitious sustainability goals.

firm news

Goose Island to be Home to Chicago’s First Mass Timber Office Building

The firm is continuing our partnership with Hines to build the first mass timber office building in Chicago.

woman walks up wooden stairs surrounded by raw concrete walls. Black and white mural, front of a forest. Angled railing

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Growing Mass Timber Design

Wood couldn't be a better candidate for mitigating climate change when used as a superstructure in large-scale projects.

firm news

Metropolis Magazine Names DLR Group a Responsible Disruptor

Our work on mass timber for hotels was honored for its representation of positive change and healthy innovation in architecture and design.

Heavy timber ceiling, beams, and columns with a gray sofa and dark wood entertainment center

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Materiality and Hospitality: Researching Mass Timber Design for Hotels

Rising demand for travel means fresh design opportunities to open conversations about lowering the carbon impact of new hotels.

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AIA

Mass Timber's Next Chapter

DLR Group Principal Steve Cavanaugh, AIA, delivers growing evidence on the sustainability, wellness, and aesthetic benefits of mass timber design.

firm news

DLR Group and Hines Continue to Grow Mass Timber Design in Denver

Construction commences on the six-story, 225,000-SF building in the city’s River North neighborhood

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Metropolis

A Future for Mass Timber in Hospitality

Our mass-timber hospitality prototype qualifies the firm as a responsible disruptor by Metropolis Magazine.

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Hospitality Design Magazine

How Hospitality Companies Can Shrink Their Carbon Footprint

With sustainability top of mind, Bobby Larson weighs in on carbon reduction strategies.

Rendering for planned improvement to University of Missouri Mizzou Tigers Memorial Stadium North Endzone

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University of Missouri Approves Hiring of DLR Group for Memorial Stadium Transformation

The University of Missouri Board of Curators unanimously approves a resolution that will transform and modernize Memorial Stadium, the iconic home facility for Mizzou Football since 1926. Mizzou also unveils our conceptual design for the reimagined North Endzone and other areas at Memorial Stadium.

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Work Design Magazine

Seamless Signals: Navigating Workplace Interactions with Ease

Principal Abbey Cwiek-Garrett shares how small changes in workplace cues and technology integration can enhance focus and streamline communication, creating a seamless and intuitive work environment.

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K-12 Dive

Bringing Staff and Student Voices into the School Design Process

From K-12 Dive, learn how DLR Group’s approach to integrated design is spurred through feedback from students and staff. James. L. Capps Middle School creates adaptive and flexible learning spaces because of this process.

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Global Design News

A Beacon Connecting Campus and Community

Inspired by the concept of an oasis, the La Sierra Museum and Visitor Center reimagines museums to create a campus destination. The facility highlights our commitment to sustainability with a high-performance building envelope and energy reduction strategies.

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WFMY News 2

New Visual and Performing Arts School Taking Center Stage

DLR Group Principal and Senior K-12 Education Leader Jason Lembke, NCARB, speaks to WFMY News 2 on the design of Guilford County Schools’ Visual Performing Arts K-5 School.

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PaperCity

Inside Houston Basketball’s Guy V. Lewis Development Center

PaperCity covers how DLR Group’s integrated design for Houston’s Guy V. Lewis Development Center is fueling the nation’s number-one men’s basketball team.