Swinerton’s latest multifamily timber build tops out in Optimist Park 

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Swinerton has announced the top-out of Phase Two of The Joinery, a 350,000-square foot luxury apartment community developed by Space Craft, a national multifamily developer. Located in Optimist Park, two seven-story buildings provide a combined total of 360 apartments and 30,000 square feet of commercial space. The first building at 420 East 22nd Street is expected to be finished by year-end, with the adjacent second building at 1816 North Brevard Street slated for completion Summer 2024. Construction costs for Phase Two total $80 million. 

“Swinerton is known as the leader in mass timber construction, particularly expanding throughout the Southeast,” says Jared Hoeflich, vice president, division manager. “Projects such as The Joinery that push the bar for urban living really get our team excited about the transformative nature of mass timber. A synergy exists between the mission of Space Craft and the overall benefits of this sustainable building material.” Space Craft seeks to build walkable communities in growing markets such as Charlotte. 

The design of The Joinery Phase Two features two levels of concrete podium topped with five stories of a hybrid cross-laminated timber (CLT) and prefabricated structural system supplied by Timberlab, a Swinerton company and provider of holistic mass timber systems. The timber is a combination of spruce, pine and fir from British Columbia provided by Canadian lumber company Kalensnikoff. Unique features of The Joinery’s construction include the use of structural CLT deck planks instead of traditional floor and roof trusses that create an exposed wood soffit and a biophilic environment. All prefabricated timber components were manufactured and assembled offsite reducing onsite labor needs and ultimately minimizing risk. The buildings also feature high Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER)-rated HVAC systems and rooftop solar panels that further support Space Craft’s pursuit of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly environments. 

Hoeflich continues, “By combining concrete, stick frame and mass timber materials and being involved early in the preconstruction process, our team was able to bring value to the build process by identifying efficiencies to result in a sustainable, cost-effective product for Space Craft.” Swinerton also partnered with Space Craft to construct Phase One of The Joinery, a six-story building with 83 residential units and 2,000 square feet of retail space. 

“Sustainability is a motivating principle for our company, so we are excited to partner with Swinerton to integrate mass timber and its immense benefits into this project,” says Harrison Tucker, founder and chief executive officer, Space Craft. “Swinerton’s experience and expertise with mass timber projects made them the obvious choice to be the general contractor for this project.”  

Mass timber construction is a new chapter in the sustainability story that defines The Joinery. With Space Craft’s emphasis on creating walkable, sustainable, urban neighborhoods, The Joinery is designed around proximity to light rail, shops and restaurants; has electric car and electric bike sharing for residents; and is equipped with in-unit composting, low-VOC paint, low-energy LED lighting and energy-conserving smart thermostats. 

According to Hoeflich, the deployment of mass timber in construction projects has grown in popularity over the past decade – for many reasons. 

• Timber requires less foundation as it is lighter than steel and concrete, which translates into savings of time and budget.
• As a renewable resource, wood is more sustainable with a smaller carbon footprint than other traditional construction materials.
• Biophilic design enhances connectivity to the natural environment, which provides both physiological and psychological benefits.

Leveraging the expertise and resources of Timberlab, Swinerton has completed over 45 mass timber projects to date, with 15 more in preconstruction or under construction. Among Swinerton’s most notable Southeast timber projects are Building Four at the Live Oak Bank campus in Wilmington, NC, as well as the expansion of Swinerton’s own adaptive reuse office in Charlotte that features a 1,700- square foot mass timber mezzanine level in 10,000 square feet of workspace. 

Since expanding to the Southeast in 2018, Swinerton has constructed $539 million of commercial and residential projects in the Carolinas. The expert team of 50 construction professionals specializes in corporate interiors and buildings, multifamily, and mass timber builds.