Timber Civic & Urban Forum

The Timber Civic & Urban Forum in the Northeast corner of Downtown Los Angeles, is an ambitious exploration of mass timber construction, biophilic design, and socially engaged architecture. Anchored at the corner of its site, the tower responds to environmental factors and the surrounding context, lifting upward to frame expansive views toward greater Los Angeles. Its podium levels pivot outward, creating a dynamic engagement with the street, activating the ground plane, and forming a welcoming plaza that links the neighborhood’s cultural fabric to broader Los Angeles.

Strategically carved voids penetrate the massing, drawing natural light and air deep into the building, facilitating intuitive circulation and visual connectivity across programmatic layers. The figure-ground relationship demonstrates careful respect for existing urban axes while establishing a distinctive presence within the dense LA context. On the roof, the massing informs landscaped terraces and diagonal axes, offering elevated green retreats that reinforce connections between interior spaces and the surrounding urban environment.

Structurally, the building employs dual exterior steel frame cores flanking an column-free mid-rise floorplan, allowing flexibility in planning while supporting ambitious timber spans. Extensive greenery weaves throughout, from a double-height ground-level event space and flower markets to terraces, promoting wellness and fostering moments of interaction. The green façade responds to the building’s orientation, animating the exterior while enhancing environmental performance.

At its core, the building champions mass timber—heavy timber, cross-laminated timber, and other innovative engineered wood products—as a medium to advance sustainability, wellness, and resilience. Through a thoughtful program of public and semi-public spaces—including teahouses, traditional market stalls, and social playgrounds—it cultivates a socially just and equitable environment. Flexible workspaces with exterior terraces reflect a post-COVID approach to live-work architecture, merging productivity with the restorative qualities of nature.

The Timber Civic & Urban Forum is more than a structure: it is a living framework for community, sustainability, and cultural celebration. It demonstrates how architecture can actively mediate between people, place, and planet—where mass timber embodies both responsibility and aspiration. Biophilia, public engagement, and civic purpose converge in a building that is as socially vital as it is structurally innovative.