Advancing Mass Timber in K-12 Construction
Evergreen Charter School is one of the projects supported through the Mass Timber Competition, a program designed to move mass timber from concept to construction. By investing in real-world buildings, the SLB is helping design and construction teams test mass timber systems in demanding environments—schools, housing, and community-serving facilities—where performance, durability, and cost matter.
Evergreen Charter School demonstrates how mass timber can meet those demands in a large-scale educational setting.
Project Overview: A New Model for School Design
Located in Hempstead, New York, Evergreen Charter School is an 89,000-square-foot K-12 facility designed by Martin Hopp Architect. The building accommodates up to 750 students and includes classrooms, science and technology spaces, music rooms, a gymnasium, outdoor learning areas, and shared community spaces.
The structure uses a hybrid mass timber system, pairing cross-laminated timber (CLT) with a high-performance envelope and mechanical systems. A concrete podium supports a multi-story CLT frame, allowing the project team to replace what would traditionally be a steel or concrete structure with wood.
Why Mass Timber Was Chosen
Mass timber played a central role in meeting the project’s design and performance goals. The CLT structure reduced embodied carbon impacts compared to conventional systems while remaining cost-competitive. Prefabricated timber elements supported construction efficiency and helped maintain quality across a complex building program.
A defining feature of the project is the 4,000-square-foot rooftop cafeteria, fully constructed with mass timber columns, beams, and roof elements. Throughout the building, exposed wood supports daylighting, acoustics, and long-term durability, qualities especially valuable in learning environments.
A Scalable Opportunity for the Wood Products Market
Evergreen Charter School illustrates how mass timber can be successfully deployed in K-12 construction at scale. For lumber producers and builders, it offers a clear signal: schools represent a growing, repeatable market for structural wood systems, with mass timber delivering performance, efficiency, and architectural flexibility.
