On the banks of the Milwaukee River, a 32-floor mixed-use multi-residential tower is rising up. The hybrid building design includes a post-tensioned concrete base structure for floors one through seven. ‘When completed, Neutral 1005 N Edison St will be one of the tallest timber-hybrid buildings in the world' said Daniel Glaessl, partner of Neutral.

From the eighth floor to the rooftop, the structure features an impressive 3,750 cubic meters (m³) of prefabricated cross-laminated timber (CLT), complemented by 1,304 m³ of visually graded, block-glued GLT/glulam, complete with preinstalled, customized connectors. The GLT is expertly manufactured by our trusted partner, WIEHAG Timber Construction. The full volume of 5,054 m³ of mass timber will be supplied by Stora Enso.

Features and amenities

Neutral 1005 N Edison St will offer 378 luxury apartments (studios, 1, 2, and 3-bedroom units) and 18 penthouse suites on the upper floors. The lower level will feature ~7,000 sq ft (650 m²) of retail space for cafés and restaurants, adding vibrancy to the riverbank location.

Meet the developers

Neutral is a real estate developer dedicated to sustainability and enhancing resident quality of life. They design and develop institutional-grade multifamily communities using mass timber that achieve top sustainability certifications like Passive House, and the Living Building Challenge.

Durable and rapid construction

This flagship project is leveraging Stora Enso's fully automated coating line, the largest in the world, to pre-apply UV and Hydrophobic Coatings so when the CLT arrives on-site, the elements are ready for immediate installation. This will facilitate the year-round construction and avoid any possible water damage. 

Carbon footprint

A key factor in achieving the project's ambitious climate goals is the use of wood products from Stora Enso, which boasts some of the lowest Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). 

The 3,750 cubic meters of CLT will generate less than 200 tonnes of greenhouse gases (CO₂e) to manufacture (197 CO₂e to be exact) and only 364 CO₂e to transport.

Compared to the 2,858 tonnes of carbon dioxide that the trees removed while growing and will store in 1005 N Edison St, this amount is a small fraction. 

Choosing Stora Enso’s CLT instead of non-renewables will avoid an impressive 4,286 tonnes of greenhouse gases.

Source: Stora Enso Carbon Calculator based on third-party verified EPDs.

Meeting high standards

The project aims for exceptionally high environmental standards, including the Passive House (PHIUS CORE 2021) target. Passive House design optimises insulation, ventilation, and airtight construction to drastically reduce energy consumption (typically 80% less than non-Passive Houses).

Timeline

The City of Milwaukee's Board of Zoning, Planning Commission, and Common Council have approved the proposal, aligning with Milwaukee's climate-smart initiatives and downtown revitalisation efforts.

Demolition on the site is complete, and construction has now begun with the ground-breaking ceremony taking place on June 16, 2025. Completion expected in 2027. The rapid timeline is made possible in large part thanks to the prefabrication and additional in-house customised services by Stora Enso.

Select publications

Fox6 News: Milwaukee mass timber building groundbreaking, will be tallest in US

BizJournal:  When downtown Milwaukee's next mass timber tower could be complete

UBM Magazine:  Milwaukee gets a dual leadership made of wood

Architect News: Tallest mass timber building in U.S.’ to be built in Milwaukee

USA Today: World Record: Tallest Mass Timber Building in North America to Break Ground in ‘24