Custom House Block Loft

This CLT addition to the top floor of Boston's Historic Custom House Block, originally constructed in 1847, added 2750 SF of Cross Laminated Timber to create a lofted addition, to expand the amount of floor area for additional office space. 

The lifting & installation of the 24 foot long CLT panels was unique in that the panels had to be carefully inserted through a tight opening and then rotated into place once in the space.  In order to ensure the success of these panels fitting properly, a LiDAR scan was completed prior to fabrication to properly measure the over 200 year old space, as well as the pre-installed steel members that supported the CLT panels, to ensure tolerances were correct.  Additionally, the CLT panels could not be supported from the existing roof or beams, so a unique rigging strategy was used in order to be able to move the 3000+ lb panels into place without disrupting the existing brickwork.