Construction begins on 13‑story mass timber student housing at 9th and High in Columbus

Columbus, Ohio, October 1, 2025

News Summary

Construction has started on 9th and High, a 13‑story mass timber student housing tower near The Ohio State University. The 242,000‑square‑foot building will contain roughly 186 units and 493 beds and rise above a one‑story concrete podium. Developer Harbor Bay Ventures is working with Elford Construction, DLR Group, Forefront Structural Engineers and SmartLam on CLT floor panels and glulam columns and beams. The design uses wood‑to‑wood connections and concealed Simpson Strong‑Tie connectors with a two‑hour FRR. The project emphasizes domestic timber supply chains and claims a net sequestration of 1,128 metric tons of CO₂e.

Construction begins on 13‑story mass timber student housing 9th and High in Columbus

Construction has started on a 13‑story mass timber building in Columbus, Ohio to be used for student housing. The project is named 9th and High and is being developed by Chicago‑based Harbor Bay Ventures. Harbor Bay calls the building the tallest mass timber student housing building in the United States once complete. The project is expected to be complete / open by summer 2027.

Key facts and project size

The building is located near The Ohio State University (University District) on a corner parcel with reported site addresses including 1487 N. High St. and 1497 N. High St. The building will encompass 242,000 square feet and is described as a 13‑story structure rising 157 feet, 6 inches in one report. The development will contain 186 units and 493 beds (reported in multiple pieces). Another report describes the interior layout as five two‑story townhomes on the ground floor with 181 apartments above (these figures correspond to the same development in other reports).

Team, materials and structural approach

The general contractor is Columbus‑based Elford Construction. DLR Group is the designer and provided the project renderings. Forefront Structural Engineers is handling the structural design for the full building, including all mass timber systems, and is collaborating with American mass timber manufacturer SmartLam (SmartLam North America) on the structural design.

Mass timber systems planned include domestically sourced cross‑laminated timber (CLT) floor panels. The project will use glulam (glued laminated timber) columns and beams sourced from Alabama via SmartLam North America. The structural system relies on wood‑to‑wood connections for the glulam columns and uses standardized, off‑the‑shelf concealed connectors from Simpson Strong‑Tie for glulam beam‑to‑column joints. Those Simpson Strong‑Tie connectors are expected to achieve a Fire Resistance Rating (FRR) of two hours.

Forefront developed unique composite connectors that integrate the topping slabs with the CLT deck. Those composite connectors are said to improve structural performance of the deck by enabling longer spans and reducing deflections. Reduced deflection and longer spans are described as critical to supporting the building’s high‑performance exterior enclosure. The text defines deflection as the degree to which a structural member bends or sags under a load.

Environmental and supply‑chain focus

Project leaders say the development was optimized for the North American supply chain to build tall mass timber cost‑effectively in the Midwest using domestic forests. The project will realize a net sequestration of 1,128 metric tons of CO₂e (per the developer/engineer statement). The developer/engineer equated 1,128 metric tons of CO₂e sequestration to 2,169 round‑trip flights from Columbus to Key West.

Harbor Bay says mass timber was chosen for environmental benefits, timeless aesthetic, and an efficient construction timeline. Proponents note mass timber construction can be quicker and quieter on site compared with concrete or steel alternatives and can have a smaller carbon footprint.

Site history, approvals and parking

The project replaces the Bier Stube, a popular campus bar that had stood for nearly six decades. The small building that housed the Bier Stube was demolished earlier in the week. Bier Stube has relocated to a new location at 234 King Ave. and the owner hopes to reopen there by late December.

Harbor Bay’s press materials state the development officially broke ground on Sept. 8. The 13‑story mass timber tower is the city’s first large‑scale mass timber structure. The building will be built on top of a one‑story concrete podium.

The development was approved by the University Impact District Review Board (UIDRB) last year. An earlier proposal for the site had called for a 15‑story building with a 39‑space parking garage; over several months of discussions the design was changed to be two stories shorter and with no garage. Harbor Bay and a group of investors purchased 13 buildings on the south side of West Ninth Avenue that have been used as student rental housing; Harbor Bay previously said those 13 purchased buildings will remain as they are and will not be redeveloped.

Harbor Bay stated parking for the new apartments would be available behind those existing buildings and in the 1,200‑space South Campus Gateway Garage on East Ninth. Materials shared with the University Impact District Review Board stated that the South Campus Gateway Garage is less than half full at peak times. Harbor Bay reportedly reached an agreement with CampusParc for access to the South Campus Gateway Garage.

Broader context and prior projects

Harbor Bay describes 9th and High as its second significant mass timber investment in Ohio. Harbor Bay previously developed INTRO Cleveland, described as a nine‑story, 115‑foot, 512,000‑square‑foot mass timber residential building. That earlier project was described by the developer as the largest timber‑framed building in the U.S. and the largest LEED Gold Certified timber structure in the U.S.

For context, the tallest wood‑framed development in the U.S. overall is cited as Ascent MKE in Milwaukee — a 25‑story, 284‑foot tower opened in 2022.

Renderings and project materials are available via Harbor Bay Ventures and www.harbor-bay.com. Harbor Bay says the project demonstrates the ability to build tall mass timber cost‑effectively in the Midwest using U.S. forests and that the timber structure is intended as a central amenity for student housing communities. Apartments will be managed by Coastal Ridge.

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Key features at a glance

Note: Project materials and renderings are available via Harbor Bay Ventures and www.harbor-bay.com. This report summarizes available project details, approvals and technical features shared by the developer and engineers.

Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic

Additional Resources

• ENR: Construction kicks off on 13‑story mass timber building in Columbus
• Wikipedia: Mass timber
• Columbus Underground: Bier Stube demolished; work to start on new mass timber tower
• Google Search: Bier Stube Columbus demolition
• Woodworking Network: Ohio State University’s mass timber student housing structure begins
• Google Scholar: mass timber student housing
• The Columbus Dispatch: OSU student housing apartment replacing Bier Stube starts construction
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Ohio State University
• GSL Global: Construction starts on wooden apartment complex near OSU at former Bier Stube location
• Google News: 9th and High mass timber Columbus

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