Construction has started on the first mass timber structure in Columbus, Ohio, planned to stand 13 stories and touted to be the tallest mass timber student housing building in the United States once complete in summer 2027, according to Harbor Bay Ventures, the Chicago-based developer of the property. Forefront Structural Engineers, in collaboration with American mass timber manufacturer SmartLam, is handling structural design, including all mass timber systems that are planned to incorporate domestically sourced cross-laminated timber (CLT) floor panels alongside glulam columns and beams from Alabama. Deflection refers to the degree to which a structural member, such as a beam, joist, rafter or floor system bends or sags under a load. “This project was optimized for the North American supply chain, demonstrating that we can build tall mass timber cost-effectively in the heart of the Midwest, with our own forests in truly sustainable ways,” Dortzbach added. The project replaces the Bier Stube, a popular campus bar that had stood for nearly six decades, and which had been demolished and has located to a new location to make way for the timber building.