K-12 Mass Timber Case Studies

Quileute Tribal School

A 65,000 sf, single-story K-12 campus on the Olympic Peninsula built with glulam beams and CLT panels, honoring Quileute culture and the surrounding coastal forest.

The first building relocated under the tribe's "Move to Higher Ground" initiative, it sits above the tsunami zone and doubles as a community gathering place and emergency shelter. CLT was chosen for speed of construction and for the warm learning environment it creates.

Owner

Quileute Tribe

Architect

Rice Fergus Miller Architecture

Contractor

Graham Construction

Mass Timber Trade Partner

Carpentry Plus, Inc.

Size

65,000 sf · 1 story · Type V-B

Materials

CLT and glulam

Evergreen High School

A three-story, 111,000 sf comprehensive high school anchored by an open timber commons, daylit learning stairs, and exposed glulam framing throughout classrooms and corridors.

Cross-laminated timber panels and glue-laminated beams deliver structural resilience and a warm, inviting learning environment, a benchmark for what's achievable in a public K-12 mass timber build.

Owner

Evergreen School District

Architect

Bassetti Architects

Structural Engineer

PCS Structural Solutions

Contractor

Cornerstone General Contractors

Mass Timber Trade Partner

Carpentry Plus, Inc.

Size

111,000 sf · 3 stories · Type I-B

Photos / renderings courtesy of Bora Architecture & Interiors

Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School

A full modernization for Portland Public Schools replacing the original 1956 building in Southwest Portland, renamed by community advocacy for civil rights journalist Ida B. Wells.

The design, led by a women-led team, centers health, connection to nature, and resilience to create an inclusive learning environment for every student.

Owner

Portland Public Schools

Architect

Bora Architecture & Interiors

Contractor

Hoffman Construction Company

Mass Timber Trade Partner

Carpentry Plus, Inc.

Photos / renderings courtesy of Bora Architecture & Interiors

Jefferson High School

For more than a century Jefferson High School has anchored Portland's Black community. The Portland Public Schools modernization reimagines the campus to honor that history while supporting the next generation of students.

Culturally affirming teaching and learning spaces restore Jefferson's role as a place of academic excellence, athletic and arts legacy, and generational pride, shaped by Design Justice-rooted community outreach.

Owner

Portland Public Schools

Architect

Bora Architecture & Interiors, with LEVER Architecture, Colloqate Design, and PLACE

Contractor

Colas Hoffman LLC (Colas Construction / Hoffman Construction)

Mass Timber Trade Partner

Carpentry Plus, Inc.

Photos / renderings courtesy of Bora Architecture & Interiors

PCC Opportunity Center

Portland Community College's Opportunity Center at 42nd Avenue anchors the Cully neighborhood with classrooms, a career center, gathering space, and surrounding greenspace, the college's first project to pioneer a mass timber structure.

The FSC-certified timber frame and high-performance enclosure cut embodied carbon and deliver an energy use intensity of 10.3, a 92% reduction. The warmth of the cross-laminated timber carries from the building's carved exterior form into the interior.

Owner

Portland Community College

Architect

Bora Architecture & Interiors, with Colloqate Design and PLACE Studio

Contractor

Andersen Construction

Mass Timber Supplier

Kalesnikoff

Photos / renderings courtesy of Bora Architecture & Interiors

Holgate Library

One of the largest and most energy-efficient libraries in Multnomah County, Holgate triples the size of the original 1971 building for one of Portland's most diverse communities.

The mass timber structure and its timber entry canopies frame outdoor rooms to the north and south, while chevron-patterned metal cladding wraps the building. LEED Gold certified with an energy use intensity of 19.1, an 82% reduction.

Owner

Multnomah County Library

Architect

Bora Architecture & Interiors

Contractor

Swinerton

Mass Timber Supplier

Kalesnikoff

Photos / renderings courtesy of Bora Architecture & Interiors

Belmont Library

Construction is complete and the library opens August 15. The project preserves and renovates the original 1924 brick building and replaces its single-story north wing with a gabled two-story mass timber addition clad in a modern, copper-like texture.

Shaped by extensive community engagement, the design adds an accessible entry and open lobby, an expanded children's collection with an interactive play area and middle readers annex, and a vaulted upper-floor reading room with study space and a dedicated teen area.

Owner

Multnomah County Library

Architect

Bora Architecture & Interiors

Contractor

Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty company