NYCEDC Launches Applications for Second Cohort of the NYC Mass Timber Studio

The Studio Will Be Run in Partnership with Newlab, and is Currently Accepting Applications for Design and Development Teams Across New York City

Participating Design and Development Teams Will Receive Technical Assistance in Planning Mass Timber Construction and Navigating Regulations

The Studio Builds on New York City’s Larger Efforts to Spur Innovative Climate Solutions; Including the Next Round of the Resilient Energy Studio to Catalyze Battery Storage Deployment in NYC

NEW YORK, NY—New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) today announced the launch of applications for the second round of the NYC Mass Timber Studio, a technical assistance program to support active mass timber development projects in New York City. Mass timber is an engineered wood-based building construction material with a low carbon footprint. The NYC Mass Timber Studio helps to facilitate partnerships with government agencies and create navigable regulatory paths for mass timber development while sparking cutting-edge innovation.

The second iteration of the NYC Mass Timber Studio will be jointly-operated by NYCEDC and Newlab, a global venture platform headquartered in Brooklyn, in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice (MOCEJ) with technical assistance provided by WoodWorks, and advisory support from the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB), Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) and the American Institute of Architects New York.

The NYC Mass Timber Studio advances a key commitment of New York City’s first-of-its-kind Green Economy Action Plan, that lays out a roadmap to growing the city's green economy—investing in jobs and sectors that will help the city combat climate change, and train and position New Yorkers to benefit from the nearly 400,000 projected 'green-collar' jobs in New York City by 2040.

“With widescale adoption of Mass Timber as a safe and durable building material, the City of New York can create jobs and, literally, build a more sustainable future,” said First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres Springer. “I encourage any and all interested parties to apply for the New York City Mass Timber Studio so that the world's best bring their ideas, experience and innovation to New York City and help grow the industry for years to come.”

“The Mass Timber Studio builds on our commitment to making New York City a leader in sustainable construction. By investing in mass timber, we are reducing carbon emissions, sparking cutting-edge innovation, and creating new economic opportunities,” said NYCEDC President & CEO Andrew Kimball. “We are proud to continue working with our agency and industry partners to continue this game-changing program that will help shape a more resilient, sustainable future for New York City’s built environment.”

“When we made changes to the Building Code in 2022, we opened the door to safe, sustainable timber construction projects in neighborhoods across the city. Working with our partners at NYCEDC through the NYC Mass Timber Studio we are now helping usher projects through that door,” said Department of Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo. “By providing technical guidance for these new building projects, we are advancing our dual mission of supporting compliant development and promoting public safety in our built environment.”

“At Newlab, we are committed to accelerating the commercialization of critical technologies, including those that decarbonize the built environment,” said David Belt, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Newlab. “The use of mass timber represents an opportunity to rethink how we design and construct cities. We’re excited to have the opportunity to work with NYCEDC on both the Resilient Energy Studio and the Mass Timber Studio; helping to shape regulation around the use of new technologies and materials.”

In addition to the NYC Mass Timber Studio, NYCEDC will be launching the next round of the Resilient Energy Studio, also in partnership with Newlab. The Resilient Energy Studio is designed to accelerate the deployment of energy storage system (ESS) projects across New York City through entrepreneur-led pilot projects in collaboration with City agencies and community organizations.

The Mass Timber Studio builds on the success of the first cohort of seven design and development teams with projects across four boroughs, representing diverse building typologies and scales—from community centers and public libraries to multi–family residential and industrial adaptive reuse developments. The seven participating design teams met monthly with NYCEDC, DOB, and WoodWorks, to receive technical assistance on project delivery, while advancing design and planning for their projects. NYCEDC, with support from Mass Timber Studio partners, held two public industry events. Over 300 attendees tuned in remotely and in-person at each event.

Some of the key highlights from the first cohort include:

• The Walter Gladwin Recreation Center in the Tremont neighborhood of the Bronx has received building permits and is advancing towards construction. The project is a new mass timber facility that brings inclusive and universally accessible fitness amenities and programming for all ages.
• The Brooklyn Public Library New Lots branch will replace an existing library building with a new mass timber facility that will house educational and community programming. The project has successfully received their PDC approval and is working towards permit application submission.
• Algoma, a NYC-based technology startup that participated in the Mass Timber Studio, raised a successful seed round. ‘The Prospect’ is a prototype that aims to provide a repeatable, easily deployable, and scalable solution for the Brooklyn housing market.
• The DOB published its first Technical Bulletin on mass timber—clarifying specific requirements of Section BC 602.4 of the NYC Building Code regarding mass timber construction.

Studio programming and events are anticipated to begin in May 2025 and run for eight months, during which selected teams will regularly meet with Woodworks, DOB, FDNY, NYCEDC, and Newlab for technical assistance and advisory support. Applications for the second cohort are open through April 4, 2025. Selected teams will be announced, and programming will commence in May 2025.  Learn more and apply today.

The NYC Mass Timber Studio builds on the City’s larger efforts to spur innovative climate solutions by facilitating regulatory wayfinding. Last February, Mayor Adams activated the first of five public e-battery charging locations as part of the city’s six-month pilot program to test safe, public charging of lithium-ion batteries by an initial group of 100 delivery workers. NYCEDC made two of its flagship assets available as pilot sites, including the Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT) and Essex Market, for this program.

“AIA New York is thrilled to continue our partnership with NYCEDC on the second Mass Timber Studio, a fabulous program exploring innovative design solutions utilizing low carbon materials,” said Jesse Lazar, Executive Director of American Institute of Architects New York. “We look forward to seeing the creative ways the next cohort uses mass timber, creating a greener future for NYC.”

“WoodWorks is excited to continue our partnership with NYCEDC, building on the success of the inaugural NYC Mass Timber Studio to support the 2025 cohort. Our mission is to catalyze efficient and innovative wood projects that will advance economic development and create local jobs. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to provide technical design assistance to the project teams working to utilize mass timber solutions to have a positive community impact,” said Jennifer S. Cover, PE, President and CEO.

“The Mass Timber Studio is catalyzing innovation in sustainable construction, helping to advance building technologies that will not only improve environmental impact but ideally lead to lower building costs for housing and community anchor projects like libraries and similar civic infrastructure,” said Lindsay Greene, President and CEO of Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation. “Congratulations to NYCEDC on the successful completion of your first cohort, and this expansion of the partnership with Newlab to guide the second class of pioneering design and development teams.”

“By supporting projects that utilize innovative methods like mass timber, we're building a greener city, growing economic opportunities for New Yorkers, and serving as a global model for urban sustainability,” said Clare Newman, President and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island. “We congratulate NYCEDC and Newlab on the NYC Mass Timber Studio's success and look forward to seeing what's the program's second cohort has in store.”

“The Exchange’s Climate Hub will serve as a living demonstration of sustainable solutions, driving New York City’s transition to a low-carbon future. By uniting researchers, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and local communities, we will showcase how innovations like mass timber are essential to building climate resilience,” said Stephen Hammer, CEO of The New York Climate Exchange. “Our campus design and programming exemplify this commitment, and we’re excited to offer one million annual visitors to Governors Island the opportunity to engage with this technology firsthand.”

“TYLin's participation in the inaugural Mass Timber Studio last year was transformative. The studio was instrumental in supporting our mass timber designs for two civic projects, Walter Gladwin Recreation Center and Brooklyn Public Library New Lots. The launch of this year's second cohort is a testament to the positive momentum this program has initiated towards decarbonizing the construction industry and catalyzing the Green Economy Action Plan,” said Principal at TYLin Justin Den Herder.

“Our participation in the Mass Timber Studio was fundamental to the successful design completion and permitting of the Gladwin project. Our team was honored to have such an opportunity. We continue to build on this inspiring experience which paved a path forward to developing low carbon and sustainable design solutions for our public projects across our city,” said Martha Bush, Director of Marvel.

“As past participants in the Resilient Energy Studio, we applaud NYCEDC for opening a new round of applications for this innovative and important program. The Resilient Energy Studio brings together City agencies with private companies to tackle some of our toughest-to-solve energy puzzles,” said David Arfin, CEO and Co-founder of NineDot Energy.

“The Mass Timber Studio offered by NYCEDC was an invaluable experience for Algoma, enabling us to showcase and refine our repeatable mass timber solution. The NYCEDC has been instrumental in navigating the complexities of mass timber deployment, providing a platform where challenges were not only addressed but turned into opportunities for innovation and collaboration,” said Seyfihan Usarer, Co-founder and COO of Algoma. “Thanks to initiatives borne out of the Studio, like the DOB’s Technical Bulletin on mass timber construction, it is easier to design and build with mass timber today than it was just a year ago. We are proud to be part of this progressive effort that raises awareness and actively advances the adoption of sustainable building practices.”

“The NYCEDC Mass Timber Studio is visionary, advancing innovative lower carbon, mass timber buildings as a foundation of NYC’s Green Economy Action Plan. With developer Magna & York, atelierjones lowered the carbon footprint of our Mass Timber in Harlem housing project by almost 40 percent,” said Founding Principal of atelierjones Susan Jones. “We were also thrilled to work with the NYCEDC and NYDOB to help shape policies for future mass timber buildings.”

In April 2023, Mayor Adams, along with the Trust for Governors Island and Stony Brook University unveiled the “New York Climate Exchange,” a transformative vision for a first-in-the-nation climate research, education, and jobs hub on Governors Island that will create thousands of permanent jobs and $1 billion in economic impact for the city. The campus will serve as a living laboratory, showcasing innovative approaches to sustainable and resilient design, including, New York City’s first commercial buildings utilizing mass timber. 

In fall 2022, Mayor Eric Adams signed Clean Construction Executive Order 23 which requires the City’s capital project agencies to commit to actions that will lower embodied carbon from municipal construction projects. In April 2023, Mayor Adams’ released “PlaNYC: Getting Sustainability Done,” New York City's Strategic Climate Plan. PlaNYC reinforces New York City’s leading efforts in clean construction by requiring the city’s capital project agencies to commit to actions that will lower embodied carbon—greenhouse gas emissions arising from the manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal of building materials. The NYC Mass Timber Studio builds off PlaNYC by expanding the use of mass timber, building materials composed of engineered wood products, including reducing embodied carbon emissions for new buildings, infrastructure, and major retrofits.

This crucial sector hosts over 150,000 jobs in New York City, growing 21 percent since 2016. The Green Economy in New York is expected to grow by 8 percent annually through 2030 and its gross city product is expected to grow 144 percent to $61 billion by 2030, a reflection of ramped up attention on decarbonization and resilience efforts city and statewide.

About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization that works for a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach, through four main strategies: strengthen confidence in NYC as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors with a focus on equity; build neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play; and deliver sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city's future economy. To learn more about what we do, visit us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

About Newlab
Newlab is a venture platform for critical technology startups transforming core industrial sectors. We help startups commercialize faster by aligning Infrastructure, Commercialization Projects, and Capital in locations with strategic advantages. Newlab operates 3 innovation hubs globally and manages active pilot programming in additional regions. To date, Newlab has partnered with over 50 industry and government leaders and has supported its 400+ member companies in raising over $5.8B from venture capital firms, with over $2.3B of successful exits and a collective valuation of over $20B. Visit www.newlab.com to learn more.