zThe New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), in partnership with the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB), the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), and Newlab, has announced the second cohort of the NYC Mass Timber Studio. This initiative supports development teams integrating mass timber, an environmentally friendly alternative to steel and concrete, into the city’s new build projects. The program provides grants, technical assistance from WoodWorks, and advisory feedback from DOB, FDNY, and the American Institute of Architects New York (AIA), with funding from the USDA Forest Service and the Softwood Lumber Board.
Rendering of New York Climate Exchange, courtesy of NYC EDC.
The 2025 Mass Timber Studio cohort includes seven projects across the five boroughs. The largest is the New York Climate Exchange’s 140,000-square-foot Climate Hub on Governors Island, scheduled to open in 2029. Staten Island will see the Stapleton B4/B5 Residential development, which will yield approximately 500 mixed-income units and set to be the city’s largest mass timber residential project.
Rendering of Stapleton B4/B5 Residential development, courtesy of NYC EDC.
In the Bronx, the Soundview Recreation Center will span 45,000 square feet, while Queens will host a 20,000-square-foot addition to Ganeinu Academy, designed with enhanced resiliency measures following Hurricane Ida. Brooklyn will see the 5 Timber Houses in Park Slope, which are Passive House standard homes with geothermal systems, as well as the Shirley Chisholm Pavilion in Prospect Park. Staten Island will also gain the Dockbuilders Pier building to support ferry operations.
Rendering of Soundview Recreation Center, courtesy of NYC EDC.
“We were so pleased to participate in the Mass Timber Studio’s second cohort” said Andrew Winters, Director of Capital Projects, Planning, and Development at The New York Climate Exchange. “It added momentum to our project on Governors Island and demonstrated what’s possible when city agencies work together to advance new and sustainable technologies in the built environment.”
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
Why are you building on governors island? You have a whole city to build baby build. Come on
It’s funny right… They’re building a campus to study climate on an island, so the employees will be forced to take a diesel powered ferry to and from work, rather than building in a transit rich area where employees can commute by walking, subway, or bus.
The diesel ferry was replaced with an electric version
pwned!