NEW YORK, N.Y. — The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) has announced the launch of applications for the second round of the NYC Mass Timber Studio, a technical assistance program to support active mass timber development projects in the city.
The second iteration will be jointly-operated by NYCEDC and Newlab, a global venture platform headquartered in Brooklyn, in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, explains a release.
Technical assistance will be provided by WoodWorks, and advisory support from the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB), Fire Department of the City of New York and the American Institute of Architects New York.
“When we made changes to the Building Code in 2022, we opened the door to safe, sustainable timber construction projects in neighborhoods across the city. Working with our partners at NYCEDC through the NYC Mass Timber Studio we are now helping usher projects through that door,” said department of buildings commissioner Jimmy Oddo in a statement. “By providing technical guidance for these new building projects, we are advancing our dual mission of supporting compliant development and promoting public safety in our built environment.”
The first cohort of the mass timber studio featured seven design and development teams with projects across four boroughs. There were community centers and public libraries, multi–family residential and industrial adaptive reuse developments.
The seven participating design teams met monthly with the NYCEDC, DOB and WoodWorks to receive technical assistance on project delivery, while advancing design and planning for their projects.
The NYCEDC, with support from mass timber studio partners, held two public industry events. Over 300 attendees tuned in remotely and in-person at each, explains the release.
Some highlights from the first cohort include:
- The Walter Gladwin Recreation Center in the Tremont neighborhood of the Bronx. It has received building permits and is advancing towards construction.
- The Brooklyn Public Library New Lots branch will replace an existing library building with a new mass timber facility that will house educational and community programming. The project has successfully received their PDC approval and is working towards permit application submission.
- Algoma, a technology startup that participated in the Mass Timber Studio, raised a successful seed round. “The Prospect” is a prototype that aims to provide a repeatable, easily deployable and scalable solution for the Brooklyn housing market.
- The DOB published its first Technical Bulletin on mass timber—clarifying specific requirements of Section BC 602.4 of the NYC Building Code regarding mass timber construction.
Studio programming and events are anticipated to begin in May and run for eight months. Applications for the second cohort are open through April 4. Selected teams will be announced, and programming will commence in May. Apply here.
The NYCEDC will also be launching the next round of the Resilient Energy Studio, also in partnership with Newlab. This studio is designed to accelerate the deployment of energy storage system projects across New York City through entrepreneur-led pilot projects.
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