Swinerton Building the First U.S. Middle-Income Housing Community Made Entirely from CLT

The intersection of Union & 14^th Street in Seattle is the home of a 134-unit middle-income affordable housing community built by Swinerton. Heartwood is the first middle-income housing community in the nation to be constructed entirely out of mass timber. Built following a $250,000 Wood Innovations Grant from the U.S. Forestry Services. The building is expected to be completed in the Spring of 2023.

The project will be Built Green Certified and will be one of the tallest CLT building in Washington State. For the development of Heartwood Swinerton partnered with atelierjones for architectural design, DCI Engineers provided layout and engineering consultations. Timberlab, a close affiliate of Swinerton is overseeing the project’s construction, procuring, and assembling the building’s parts and materials, which consist of eco-friendly cross-laminated timber composite free of traditional steel bearings and supports.

After construction is completed, Heartwood will have a total of 67,000 square-feet, sectioned off into studio and one-bedroom living arrangements. Community-wide residents will have access to a shared courtyard, fire pit, grilling area, bike storage and in-house retail space. The community will be situated along the city’s commercial corridor near public transport, large employers, and numerous public services.