Mass
Timber Platform
Experience Matters
TJPA is a design, consulting, and fractional leadership firm backed by 30 years of hands-on project experience, market insight, and architectural excellence in the industry.
Mass Timber Market Experience:
■ Lead designer with first-hand experience in executing one of the largest completed mass timber multifamily residential developments in North America.
■ Spearheaded the creation of residential timber design standards for dwelling units, including the interface between structural and interior architectural layout complexities and details.
■ Led the design, management, and execution of over 2 Million SF of built and in-design mixed-use residential and commercial mass timber developments.
■ Collaborated with industry leaders and experts on fire/life safety and code guidelines, ensuring that each mass timber development is optimally positioned for success.
■ Skilled in developing creative residential unit design solutions that integrate mass timber modules and design constraints, with a focus on structural and MEP/FP infrastructure coordination.
■ My background in Adaptive Reuse, Branded Hospitality, and luxury Multifamily Residential provides me with unique insight into design and style trends that can elevate your project.
Mass Timber Design Services:
■ Preliminary Feasibility & Programming Studies
Transforms
■ Concept Visioning & Branding Design
■ Residential Unit Test Fit | Prototype Design
■ Mass Timber Shell & Core Design & Layout Guidance
■ Mass Timber Code Path and Compliance Roadmapping
Experience Matters
Great design with a development-driven approach.
The challenge with mass timber development:
Mass timber is an exceptional system, combining the warmth and strength of wood with the erection speed of concrete—without the need for formwork. It serves as both a structural and finished product while offering sustainability benefits unmatched by any other material. However, planning and execution without tested experience can be a challenging learning process for many designers.
Knowledge through real experience:
Single deep span help with space planning and corridor MEP runs.
Symmetry and modular unit design allows good wall to beam alignments.
Large corner units take advantage of beam / column grid end transitions.
Understanding how columns, beams, and decking details must work in harmony—embracing simplicity, alignment, and symmetry is essential. Repetition in details and interior architecture that respects and aligns with the principles of timber construction is key to achieving a well-designed floor plan and ensuring the sound financial execution of the development. My well-grounded insight helps drive successful projects in this market.
Appropriate plan depth is critical to optimizing timber fiber volume
Experience Matters
Track Record:
My experience in mass timber development highlights my ability to navigate its complexities while creating iconic design with a simplicity and depth of form across a range of program types.
Transforms Crafting Architecture with depth and character.
Paces Ferry, Buckhead ATL
20 Stories CLT over Concrete
Sugar House, UTAH
30 Stories CLT Preliminary Concept
Timber West Concept:
The Timber West brand concept is the culmination of my mass timber experience, supported by a deep background in legacy heavy timber structures within the adaptive reuse space, along with influences from the luxury multifamily residential and hospitality markets. It draws inspiration from Chicago’s rich architectural heritage, design legacy, and industrial roots. Reflecting the architectural diversity of one of the city’s fastest-growing neighborhoods, it blends downtown’s modern high-rise aesthetic with the industrial-era warehouse and timber loft influences of the West Loop. TW merges the warmth and strength of timber with the raw, industrial noir character of the West Loop and Fulton Market. Rich, dark tones contrast with the natural lightness and texture of timber, creating a warm yet dynamic material palette.
TIMBER WEST
TIMBER WEST | INSPIRATION BOARD
Building Data
TIMBER WEST
3 NEW STORIES OVER EXISTING 2 STORY HOTEL / CLUB TIMBER WEST | SITE PLAN
SHARED AMENITY TERRACE
25-STORY RESIDENTIAL TOWER
Kinzie Carpenter Aberdeen
TIMBER BEAMS RUNNING LONG DIRECTION
TIMBER WEST | PROTOTYPICAL FLOOR PLAN
BEDROOM 12'X12' BEDROOM 12'X11'
FOYER
/ DINING 13'X21'
A fresh approach to mass timber, hospitality-driven luxury residential living, focused on authentic materials, wellness, and sustainability.
Rooted in a design philosophy that encourages individuals to pause and reconnect with nature, TW achieves a harmonious balance between sustainability, modern aesthetics, and craftsmanship for enduring appeal. It aspires to position Chicago and the Midwest as a leader in high-rise mass timber development, appealing to those who value high-quality finishes, diverse materials, bespoke luxury, authenticity, wellness, and comfort. Every aspect of the brand is designed to integrate seamlessly with a lifestyle centered around these principles.
Experience Matters Insight Transforms
Timber West is a culmination of influences.
Experience Matters
Reflecting on history with modern, natural influences:
Originally a Ford dealership and garage, this 1930s-era industrial building once showcased a vintage lit marquee and still displays projected and glazed brick friezes and decorative stone rosettes over an industrial masonry pier and full bay window framework.
In 1971, my father and his partners converted the building from a Ford dealership into what stands today as a mixed-use retail and professional services building. It also houses Midwest Electric—a business my brother continues to operate to this day.
Injecting new life into the building and restoring its historic character was important to us as a way to honor its past while also maximizing its full potential.
Timber Midwest builds on history with a modern approach.
Insight Transforms
The fusion of mass timber with adaptive reuse makes a lot of sense, given the material’s lightness and structural versatility. A hybrid approach—incorporating mass timber over an existing concrete plinth or garage—broadens the market for infill urban sites, unlocking significant sustainability benefits.
183 N. York 1950's Elmhurst Ford Motors Building
The Timber Midwest brand showcases how modern, warm, and deco-style form-making can evoke a sense of nature and urban context harmoniously working together.
Timber Midwest Concept
TERRACE
TERRACE
TERRACE
TERRACE
TERRACE
TERRACE