The non-profit developer, Community Roots Housing (CRH) is getting ready to begin construction on The Heartwood Apartments project in Seattle. This affordable housing project will showcase the tallest cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure in the state, which will be developed using a mass timber product made from carbon-sequestering renewable wood.
Heartwood Apartments project to provide affordable housing for middle-income
The 126-unit Heartwood Apartments building will rise up to 8 stories and consist of 113 studio rooms occupying about 400 square feet each and 13 one-bedrooms occupying upto 500 square feet; all furnished with the warm aesthetic of wood ceilings. On-site construction will be reduced by producing and assembling the required CLT panels offsite. The panels will be transported from Kalesnikoff Lumber Co. Ltd.,which is located about 400 miles from Seattle in Castlegar, British Columbia. This Opportunity Zone project is aimed at closing the middle-income housing gap in Seattle, by providing units earmarked for people earning between 60% to 100% of area median income (AMI.)
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 According to William Silva, the Director of pre-construction at Swinerton Builders in Bellevue, Heartwood Apartments is designed to bring warmth to the living areas through its exposed wood structure, timer beams and ceilings; which residents and visitors are able to see and also get a good feel of the wood. Sliva also pointed out that eco-friendly CLT building materials used for this project were highly beneficial in terms of reduced costs, speed of erection and overall carbon footprint.
CRH was unable to provide an estimated cost of the Heartwood Apartments project, but stated that it will be financed through private funds. Pinnacle Partners is funding the project and a construction loan was also secured by Berkadia from Heritage Bank to cover the costs.
The development team working on the Heartwood Apartments project includes Atelier Jones, the designers; DCI structural and civil engineers; Timberlab, an affiliate of Swinerton, providing expertise in fabricated timer; and the developers, Community Roots Housing. Construction is scheduled to start by the first quarter of 2022 and the developers expect the apartments to be open by early 2023.
