Investment in Mass Timber is an
Investment in the Future

Bassetti designs for an evolving future.

Our firm remains at the forefront of sustainable design by offering a full circle approach. Adaptability, practical solutions, and accessible maintenance are key components of our methodology. We view sustainability not as a linear task to be checked off a list, but as a continuous commitment to integrating unique solutions at every design phase, while planning for ongoing maintenance and future adaptability. As a premier design firm of K-12 architecture in the Pacific Northwest, we design sustainable buildings as an investment in our communities and a commitment to our future.

What is mass timber?

Referring to a range of products falling under one category, mass timber combines the long-used materiality of wood with modern engineering technology. While still a wood product, through the manufacturing process of segmenting and layering wood, mass timber becomes an even stronger and more flexible building option than traditional lumber. A highly customizable material, mass timber products can be made to precise specifications and project needs. Different orientations, grain, and wood species can be chosen, allowing design and function blend.

Mass timber is sustainable

Wood is somewhat of a miracle resource when it comes to sustainability. Timber is renewable, strong, and easy to work with. Mass Timber creates less of a carbon footprint during manufacturing than its counterparts such as steel or concrete. In fact, studies have shown that mass timber buildings offer 76-94% lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) than steel or concrete structures of similar mass. 

Much of the process to create and fit mass timber for a project happens off site in a manufacturing facility. By offering a semi-prefabricated product, mass timber helps deliver projects on time and under budget. By saving on installation time and cost, these resources can then be reallocated to lengthier processes and other costlier line items. The customizability of mass timber makes it an extremely adaptable building option, resulting in quick and easy installation.

Bassetti and mass timber

Mass timber has seen an explosion of interest in recent years. With the development of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) and Dowel-Laminated Timber (DLT) panel technology, the lexicon has shifted from heavy timber to mass timber. Prior to the development of CLT and DLT technology and the adoption of the term mass timber to describe it, building with wood beams was called heavy timber construction.

Bassetti has been designing with heavy timber for decades, invested in it as a natural, locally sourced material with biophilic design benefits. Now, as an early adopter of mass timber in school design,

Bassetti has over 300,000 square feet of mass timber educational facilities completed and under construction.

Van Asselt School, Seattle, WA
Seattle Public Schools

At Van Asselt School, legacy and modern technology meld, resulting in a sustainable addition to the historic landmarked structure. Originally built in 1909, the City of Seattle landmark was sitting unused and derelict. The design team transformed the aged building into a sustainable, lively middle school site for the District.

Pushing the boundaries of educational excellence and sustainable design, a CLT and glulam beam addition rises alongside the historic building. Tall hallways of exposed timber and beams run the length of the addition, culminating in large open stairs at each end. Extending the height of the stairwells, custom experiential graphics add texture and visual interest, embossed on wooden panels which compliment the warmth of the CLT. The open structure of the mass timber system allows for expansive windows in every classroom, channeling plentiful daylight and the warmth of wood finishes all teaching spaces.

Van Asselt School demonstrates Bassetti’s commitment to preserving Seattle’s historic built environment and building sustainable new construction for the future.

Mercer Middle School, Seattle, WA
Seattle Public Schools

The replacement of Mercer Middle School offers an opportunity for a dynamic new design that reclaims the topography of the original site and honors its position within the Beacon Hill neighborhood. Through interactive rounds of stakeholder engagement, the Mercer community made it clear that sustainability was a nonnegotiable for the design of their new school. 

Currently under construction, Mercer’s mass timber installation is generating palpable excitement. The entrance to the school features the project's signature angled glulam columns in a two-story volume, serving as a welcoming landmark to the community. The use of angled glulam and exposed CLT in the structure will be a true testament to the innovative application of mass timber in design. In June 2024, the AIA Mass Timber Committee joined the design and construction team for a tour of the CLT school as it comes to life.

In addition to the mass timber structure, the project incorporates ground source heat pumps, expansive windows, low VOC materials, photovoltaic panels, and regenerative site design with a low maintenance landscape. Mercer Middle School sets a standard for how passionate communities can create sustainable schools.

Evergreen High School, Seattle, WA
Highline Public Schools

The scenic landscape surrounding Evergreen High School, shaped by glaciers, erosion, and the built environment, frames the story of this replacement school. The school’s motto, “Dig Deep, Rise Up, Branch Out,” sets the tone for the biophilic design story and CLT form. By integrating the site’s evolution of glaciation, watercourses, and conifer trees, alongside consideration of community needs, the design harmonizes safety, engagement, communal spaces, and adaptable learning environments.

The double-height commons space highlights the project’s use of CLT mass timber structure, abundant daylight, and views to the courtyard; which features bioswales landscaped with native species and outdoor spaces for students. Wood and natural materials are thoughtfully integrated on the school’s interior, throughout the sustainable mass timber structure, wood wall paneling, and interior finishes. Classrooms have large windows and abundant daylight with views of trees, and the adjacent natural spaces, all encapsulated by the strength of the wooden frame.

Fairview Middle School, Bremerton, WA
Central Kitsap School District

Located on a thickly forested site, the design of the replacement Fairview Middle School draws inspiration from regional structures such as forest service watch towers, evoking feelings of safety and refuge. The brick foundation lays a strong base to the CLT structure of the building, mirroring the trees nearby. 

Surrounded by the thick forest of the Olympic peninsula, the design seeks connection by bringing the outdoors in. The design story finds harmony in the use of mass timber, while color and texture within the building creates a warm and inspiring interior, drawing from the forest understory, trunk, and canopy. Through careful material selection, custom graphics, and the use of Cross-Laminated Timber, the building immerses occupants within the forest; whether they are roaming the courtyard, halls, or the forest beyond.  Centering the design, CLT guides students along the path of the forest floor and onward, into their school.

River Ridge High School, Lacey, WA
North Thurston Public Schools

River Ridge High School features Dowel-Laminated Timber (DLT), which employs timber dowels as the binding agent instead of traditional adhesives, reducing carbon footprint while offering strength and versatility. The timbers rise high above the heads of visitors in the expansive new commons space, the central feature of the campus upgrades. The school was in need of modernizations to satisfy program needs while centralizing its community via sustainable avenues.

The final design includes a striking new welcome to the school through a large, glazed entrance wall serving as a beacon for a community. Community members, students, and staff are welcomed inward, beyond the glazed wall into an upbeat commons, bathed in natural daylight. Light, texture, and tone play overhead where students, teachers, staff, and families will gather for future assemblies and celebrations. The upgraded entrance and adjacent new DLT commons structure links the modernized portions of the building with the new two-story wing of academic and research spaces to provide significantly expanded classroom capacity.

*Photos courtesy of PCS Structural Solutions

Mass Timber is a Community Effort

Communication is a key element of designing a mass timber project. Bassetti values our strong relationships with our mass timber suppliers, installers, contractors, and consultants who have a hand in bringing mass timber projects to life. Construction of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), Dowel-Laminated Timber (DLT), glulam, and other mass timber projects is a vision of the resilient communities we design and build for. 

Working closely alongside consultants is critical for a successful project, creating an opportunity for intensive design and construction collaboration from the start.

Lasting sustainability

Mass timber is one element in the toolbox of Bassetti’s sustainable design approaches. Our Director of Sustainability, Kristian Kicinski spearheads sustainable design implementation on all projects. Our mission is to implement attainable solutions with continued benefits for the built environment, its users, and the land it resides on.

Bassetti Architects believes mass timber is an investment in our global future.

Investment in Mass Timber is an Investment in the Future