Mass Timber Design, MIT's architecture workshop exploring sustainable building design at the intersection of architecture and technology, has developed a Longhouse prototype. Mass timber, a wood-based building design and construction technology, has continued to be explored for its sustainability over other materials such as concrete. 

A major environmental concern, concrete production accounts for about 5 percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions alone.

The Longhouse draws on its historical background serving as a multi-functional building designed for shared communal space. 

The structure consists of a series of timber laminated veneer lumber (LVL) arches spanning across the building’s shorter dimension. 

Each arch utilizes a thin-walled triangular profile to minimize deformations in the structure and provide overall rigidity to the building.

Project credits: (Research Scientist) John Klein, (Design-Engineering Team) John Fechtel, Paul Short, Demi Fang, Andrew Brose, Hyerin Lee, Alexandre Beaudouin-Mackay.