MILWAUKEE — On the corner of Van Buren and Kilbourn, you'll find Ascent, a 25-story luxury residential building that stands out for more than just its looks.
"This is the world's tallest mass timber building," said Tim Gokhman, managing director of New Land Enterprises.
When you walk inside any of the units, your eyes immediately go to the exposed wood.
Inside the 25-story building, all that wood is left exposed giving the building a natural, airy feel.
Gokhman said he chose to build with mass timber for its negative carbon footprint.
"Using mass timber instead of concrete in this building is equivalent to taking about 2,400 cars off the road for a year," Gokham said.
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The timber arrives from Austria in giant, precision pieces. That required developers to design the entire building digitally first, down to the switches and the screws.
Research shows a mass timber building goes up 25% faster than concrete and requires 90% less construction traffic.
We caught up with Thomas Morton as he moved in.
"It's more beautiful than the pictures," Morton said, smiling. "Proud to be part of history."
The new Milwaukee resident tells us he chose Ascent for a reason.
"Always trying to be environmentally friendly and conscious," he said. "It seemed like a great place to live."
From the exposed timber to an indoor-outdoor pool concept, it's safe to say there's more to Ascent than meets the eye.
The building is still under construction, but developers hope to be wrapped up in September with guests all moved in by the end of August.
