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A new student housing development near The Ohio State University in Columbus set a massive wood record.
A consortium of design and construction firms has completed Intro Columbus, a 13-story solid wood student housing building, according to an announcement shared with Construction Dive. According to the release, the team reached the milestone approximately 10 weeks ahead of its original target date of November.
The 158-foot-tall, 242,000-square-foot structure is the tallest wooden student housing project in the U.S., according to a project fact sheet from design firm DLR Group, and will include 186 units when completed.
By using glulam columns and beams, along with cross-laminated timber panels, the team was able to achieve construction speeds of two and a half stories every two to three weeks, per DLR. According to the announcement, crews installed 44 CLT panels per day.
the project started on September 8, 2025one year after the day of completion of the structure, according to DLR. As the project finished ahead of schedule, this allowed the crew to begin work on interior framing and MEP framing along with installing exterior wall panels and windows on the lower floors.
“The erection went as smoothly as you could ask for,” Shane Warner, superintendent of Elford Construction, said in the announcement. “We had a great team, a tight sequence and a lot of people who knew exactly where they needed to be.”
The wood, native to Alabama, also has environmental benefits. It will sequester 1,128 metric tonnes of carbon compared to a steel and concrete design, per DLR.
Solid wood is not only relegated to house construction. As steel prices have risen, so have contractors turning to wood to help them build data centersSkanska experts said during a Sept. 10 webinar.
Elford Construction, a Columbus-based builder, was the general contractor on the job. Other participants include Chicago-based Forefront Structural Engineers; SmartLam, a solid wood manufacturer based in Dothan, Alabama, North America; and Columbus-based property manager Coastal Ridge.
The construction team is targeting completion in 2027, according to the fact sheet.
