Milwaukee Breaks Ground on Western Hemisphere’s Tallest Timber Tower

Milwaukee has broken ground on a record-setting skyscraper: The Edison, a 31-story (approximately 375-foot-tall) apartment tower poised to become the tallest mass timber building in the Western Hemisphere upon its completion in 2027. City officials and project leaders held a groundbreaking ceremony this week to kick off construction on the downtown site, marking a milestone in sustainable development. Once finished, The Edison will deliver more than 350 upscale apartments along with street-level retail space, all built using an innovative hybrid of wood and concrete. The project’s extensive use of mass timber – engineered wood components – on such a scale signals a bold step forward for environmentally conscious high-rise construction.

In context, The Edison will eclipse Milwaukee’s own Ascent tower – a 25-story building completed in 2022 that currently holds the world record for tallest timber-concrete hybrid structure. However, The Edison’s global reign may be short-lived: an even taller timber high-rise is already underway in Sydney, Australia, set to claim the worldwide title before The Edison is finished. That leaves the Milwaukee tower to stand as the tallest mass timber building in the Americas, underscoring the city’s emergence as a leader in this cutting-edge construction trend. Madison-based developer Neutral has been planning the project since 2020 and even envisions another record-breaking timber skyscraper in the future on a neighboring site.

Luxury Amenities in a Green Tower

The 31-story tower will contain a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments – 353 units in total – aimed at the luxury market. Residents will have access to high-end amenities including an entire floor dedicated to wellness with a fitness center, health clinic, spa, pool and sauna, as well as a rooftop lounge featuring a community garden and entertainment deck. Plans also call for conveniences like a golf simulator, private movie room, co-working space, dog park with pet spa, and even on-site shared electric vehicles and e-bikes for tenants. On the ground floor, about 7,000 square feet of commercial space will house a café and organic grocery store open to the public, integrating the development into the neighborhood. To support this expansive program, developer Neutral secured approximately $133 million in construction financing earlier this year. The Edison’s design team – led by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture with engineering by Forefront and Thornton Tomasetti – has woven these features into a building that offers resort-style amenities within a sustainable urban high-rise.

Engineering a Sustainable Skyscraper

As a mass timber structure, The Edison will utilize engineered wood elements for most of its frame, supported by a concrete core and foundation. Mass timber – which involves bonding layers of lumber into large structural panels and beams – is prized for its sustainability and strength. The material can rival steel or concrete in load-bearing capacity, and in a fire it chars on the outside instead of burning through, providing inherent fire resistance. Neutral estimates that using timber will cut the building’s embodied carbon footprint by 54% compared to a conventional tower, and that its energy use and operational carbon emissions will be 45% lower in the long run. To achieve these targets, the project is incorporating advanced energy-efficient systems – including a water-source heat pump that draws on the nearby river for cooling – and aiming for stringent green certifications. The Edison is slated to meet Passive House standards for ultra-low energy use and is registered under the Living Building Challenge 4.0 Core program, which measures sustainability across factors like water, materials, and health.

Wellness-Centric Design Vision

Project leaders say sustainability and occupant health are at the core of The Edison’s design philosophy. “We see this project as more than sustainable. It’s incorporating a whole bunch of different health and well-being aspects to the building to really go beyond, not just the structure being sustainable, but all the residents inside living a sustainable lifestyle,” said Nate Helbach, CEO of Neutral, at the groundbreaking. He and his team view the high-rise as a showcase for how green building can enhance quality of life. “This will be a manifestation of what we are actually working on at Neutral in terms of sustainability, in terms of healthy living, in terms of tenant-user experience, and last but not least in terms of design and engineering,” added Daniel Glaessl, Neutral’s chief product officer.

Community Backing and Support

City officials have welcomed the project as both a housing boost and a sign of confidence in Milwaukee’s growth. “Milwaukee welcomes developers and partners who want to help our city grow. We want developers to invest in our neighborhoods to contribute to the future right here in Milwaukee,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson, praising the hundreds of new housing units rising downtown. The mayor noted that adding so many homes in the heart of the city will spur activity and help the neighborhood thrive. While the approval process for this first-of-its-kind tower was extensive, the city granted the necessary entitlements without direct public subsidy. Local leaders applauded The Edison’s ambition in an era when many proposals shrink to cut costs. “A lot of times we see projects go from big and grand to basically being downsized or downscaled… so I was very impressed that they were looking to be bold,” said Alderman Robert Bauman, whose district includes the site.

Mass Timber Momentum in Construction

Beyond this single project, industry trends are increasingly favoring timber construction as a viable alternative to steel and concrete. Rising costs for traditional materials have made developers more open to structural wood, especially as new tariffs on metal imports add uncertainty to budgets. “If steel prices go up and tariffs cause that throughout the whole system, then what that will really do is help make mass timber cost-neutral or better in more markets across the U.S.,” observed Chris Evans, president of Timberlab, a firm specializing in mass timber construction. With major timber towers like The Edison now underway, experts say the construction sector is gaining confidence that sustainable timber can perform at heights once reserved for steel skyscrapers.

On Track for 2027 Completion

With construction now officially in motion, the project team expects the tower’s structure to rise quickly over the next year. Contractor C.D. Smith has mobilized on site and forecasts that The Edison will reach its full height in 2026 and open to residents by 2027. As one of the world’s tallest timber skyscrapers, the building will become a landmark symbol of Milwaukee’s skyline and its commitment to innovative construction. More broadly, The Edison stands as proof that high-rise buildings can achieve new heights of sustainability without compromising on luxury or performance. As this ambitious vision transforms into reality, it could set the stage for more timber skyscrapers to follow across the country.