619 Ponce

Blending local wood with innovative design, 619 Ponce is the first commercial building project in Georgia to use mass timber made from southern yellow pine (SYP) timber grown in the state itself. The structure consists of SYP glue-laminated timber (glulam) columns, girders, and purlin beams, combined with SYP cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels for the floors and roof.

The design team engineered the CLT to act compositely with the purlins to reduce purlin sizes and maximize clear height. They also designed a unique raised floor system that uses sand within a timber sleeper system; the approach met acoustic performance goals and helped reduce the amount of concrete needed for the project, adding to its carbon advantages. Several steps were taken to leave visual focus on the exposed pine. They incorporated a stacked girder/purlin configuration and routed mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems above the girders, a move which also gave tenants the ability to easily reconfigure their overhead mechanical systems in the future. The structure also has a unique column-girder connection detail that minimizes the visibility of steel connectors.

619 Ponce is the first project to participate in the State of Georgia’s Sustainable Development Carbon Sequestration Registry, a program that allows developers to earn carbon credits by utilizing materials like mass timber in their buildings. The project is targeting net zero operational carbon and LEED v4 Core and Shell certification, as well as Fitwel certification.

See the WoodWorks technical case study on this project.