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Introducing Timber House, New York’s very first timber condominium building. It mingles high-tech concepts with natural materials you can see and touch, reinventing what it means to live well and live green. Themes of pattern and connection are beautifully realized by a team of visionaries and creative thinkers who utilize age-old building methods to create a solid foundation for the future. With its modern yet profound sensibility, Timber House plants the seeds for responsible living.

Timber House’s generously sized residences feel like modern-day treehouses. Natural light floods in through expansive glass windows, illuminating the beauty of 11-foot wood-beamed ceilings that are reminiscent of historic Brooklyn. Scandinavian kitchens are airy and bright, with patterns and materials artfully designed for the building. Fresh air is continually replenished, and half of the units enjoy private outdoor space.

There are 14 homes: 2 studios, 2 one-bedrooms, 3 two-bedrooms, and 7 three-bedrooms.

Kitchens
- Kitchens by Reform (Denmark). Kitchens are much larger than typical condo kitchens.
- Most appliances are top-of-the-line Bosch. All cooktops are induction, and the three-bedroom homes have Gaggenau full-surface induction. Induction heats faster than gas, offers precise temperature control, protects against fire and burns, and doesn’t turn oxygen into exhaust gases.
- Floors are porcelain hexagonal patterned tiles designed for Timber House by the architect, MESH.
- Countertops are Italian porcelain from Infinity. This material is heat-, scratch-, and break-resistant. It’s elegant and simple to maintain.
- Backsplashes are hand-crafted cement tiles from Zia.
- Every unit has a washer/dryer. Miele units in most homes and LG combo units in the studios.
Baths
- All bathrooms feature porcelain hexagonal patterned floor tiles designed for Timber House by the architect, MESH. Wall tiles are Carrara marble hexagonal mosaic.
- Bath fixtures are satin brass. Primary fixtures by Brizo and others by Delta. Vanities and custom marble, built-in sinks by Reform.
Technology and Lighting
- Lighting is primarily minimal, continuous LED strips by Kelvix (Oregon).
- Other lights include Artemide sconces and ceiling light artworks by MESH.
- Lights are dimmable via networkable Caseta dimmers from Lutron.
- Entry door has smart lock by Latch.
- Smoke/CO detectors are Nest Protect, capable of alerting you via internet.
- Verizon Fios and Spectrum available.
- EV charging stations at each parking space.
Custom Tiles
Floor tile throughout was custom-designed for the building by MESH and produced in Turkey. The tile concept aims to evoke a sense of life in recombinant patterns.
- Hexagons are favored geometrical structures in both organic and inorganic nature because it is structurally efficient, appearing in honeycomb, soap bubbles, and pineapple skin, for example.
- Each color way has 6 permutations (patterns). The patterns connect to create a unique, continuous, nonrepeating ornamental design across the floor.
- Wall tiles are smaller, natural marble hexes. These bear the marks of the creation of natural stone. The shape the marble is cut into — 2″ hexagons – enables the connection of the tiles in a varied yet consistent mosaic.

Passive-house level performance: The building is built to passive house standards in order to use the minimal amount of energy. There is no combustion anywhere in the building. There is no gas line. We are looking to a near future when most of our electricity will be renewably generated. So we use electricity for everything, rather than burning fossil fuel (and needing to exhaust noxious gases). Other sustainable features:
- Solar photovoltaic panels on the roof.
- Electric charging stations at each parking spot.
- Heating and air conditioning is provided by air-source heat pumps.
- Generous mineral wool and polyisocyanurate insulation.
- Air sealing with Intello+ smart air barrier and Tescon Vana tape.
- European triple-glazed, passive-house-quality windows by Yaro.
- Energy-recovering ventilation by Zehnder (so even when windows are closed there is a constant supply of fresh, filtered air).
Building structure, including columns, beams, and floorplates, is made from glue-laminated timber. This building material has been beloved for decades, but recent computer controlled fabrication processes have made large-scale timber buildings feasible.
Standard dimensional (softwood) lumber is laminated to make large building components, which are pre-cut and assembled on site, much like a large scale piece of Ikea furniture. Building in mass timber offers several advantages over typical steel and concrete — as a beautiful, clean, and more environmentally sustainable alternative.

Why wood?
- Design that is open and visually unfolding creates a sense of “life,” which is to say it arouses in a viewer the kind of reaction one might have to taking in a landscape or other natural creation. We perceive patterns in multiple scales, complexity, and variation within a set of rules. Where most multifamily buildings feel lifeless, clad in thin wallboard and drab tiles, Union Street aims to evoke that sense of unfolding life.
  1. Wood is a renewable resource. The source trees grow quickly to replenish harvested trees.
  2. Wood construction sequesters carbon. Carbon drawn from the atmosphere becomes wood fiber, which remains in the building structure for the life of the building. Then new trees grow and absorb more carbon.
  3. Wood construction requires less embodied energy than high-energy products like concrete and steel.
  4. Wood is beautiful. Human sensibilities generally warm to the tactility, texture, and visual beauty of wood. Then because wood structure is beautiful it need not be clad in additional finish materials, which cost more and take up space.
  5. On-site construction is faster and cleaner. Timber components are pre-fabricated in a factory then assembled on site with screwed connections. This requires less on-site labor, creates less on-site waste, and takes less on-site time.

Building Amenities
- The structure and floor plates are made of douglas fir/larch glue-laminated timber. These elements are exposed in the living spaces and bedrooms.
- Facade clad in handmade brick from Petersen-Tegl in Denmark.
- Floors throughout are 8” wide custom-stained engineered pine planks.
- European triple-glazed, aluminum-clad, solid wood casement windows by Yaro. Insect screens included.
- Entry managed by Latch, an internet-based entry system, at both building and apartment doors.
- Huge, shared roof deck with panoramic views of Manhattan and beyond.
- The lobby features custom-designed tile, made-in-NYC, upcycled lighting by Stickbulb, and package shelving.
- Each home has private storage in the basement.
- Large bike storage room.
- 10 parking spaces at grade (in addition to the private garage), each with an EV charging station.

Always the center for new, progressive ideas. Always a neighborhood that values community. A historic neighborhood with a green future.
Half a block from Union Street subway
Three blocks from Prospect Park and Grand Army Plaza
Mom and pop businesses still thriving
All the services of an established neighborhood
All the gems of Gowanus (restaurant in a log cabin, cultural venues, BBQ, endless opportunities to learn, exercise etc.)

Architect: MESH Architectures has been known for innovative projects in the physical and digital realm since 1997. They combine a thoughtful approach to modern living with material innovation and focus on sustainable strategies.

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TIMBER HOUSE

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