Amberglen // CLT Construction Technology

office: katerra

type: multi-family residential

location: portland, oregon, usa

Located just outside of Portland, Oregon, The Amberglen Market Rate South project includes two six-story, 352-unit apartment complexes and incorporates a diverse mix of suburban office, multifamily, hospitality spaces and two levels of structured parking. What makes this project unique is its integration of various Katerra Building technologies, one of which being CLT, or cross laminated timber structural floor systems. CLT offers a unique combination of efficiency, strength, safety, aesthetics, and environmental benefits that are able to deliver incredibly high value across the entire construction ecosystem.

The Amberglen South project highlights CLT’s design and engineering advantages and demonstrates how those advantages translate into more desirable living spaces in the residential market. Exposed CLT and mass timber within the living units is aesthetically pleasing as a finish material, and it also allows for improved floor-to-ceiling height, making more efficient use of the available space. Katerra assisted in the mass timber design and engineering, component design, construction planning, and installation. These are podium projects, with CLT utilized as the floor slabs and roof structures, along with glulam beams. In addition to offering environmental, safety, and thermal performance advantages, CLT construction also reduced structural loads and increased build efficiency when compared to concrete and steel.

Responsibilities:

During my second year at Katerra, I assisted with the management of the Amberglen Market Rate South buildings. This leadership opportunity positioned me to work directly and build relationships with the client, construction site team, external engineers & consultants and internal design and engineering teams. I assisted with the architectural coordination and strategic project management of construction documents, construction administration and coordination, taking the building from late phase construction documents to mid-construction phase. I also helped to coordinate the layout and installation of Katerra’s first CLT panels; a first and major landmark achievement for the company. In addition, I gained first hand knowledge of modular construction and design, BIM-driven processes, and horizontal cross-disciplinary teamwork across various scales of the building.