Expanding possibilities for mass timber construction

The Queens Braid is a conceptual design that shows how timber, a renewable and sustainable material, can be used as the primary structural material for a sports stadium. Designed for a prominent waterfront site in Queens, New York, it is conceived as an emblem for the next generation of low-carbon architecture. The building is composed of interlocking wooden beams, applying SOM’s research on self-supporting structures. With a memorable form that evokes a woven basket, the highly efficient design—named the Woven Timber Shell—dramatically reduces the upfront carbon impact of construction.

While mass timber, a strong, safe, and durable engineered wood product, is increasingly being used in residential and commercial construction, its use for large-scale structures, such as sports stadiums, has been limited. The Queens Braid aims to set a precedent, showing that timber can be a beautiful, sustainable, and cost-effective alternative for steel and concrete in large structures. Using form-finding techniques, SOM’s architects and engineers optimized the stadium enclosure to make the most of timber’s inherent structural qualities and strength in compression.

Assembly and constructability

The woven form of the Queens Braid is composed of individual single curved mass timber elements. The assembly and connection of these elements are critical to the design approach of the stadium. The exposed timber members cantilever from the stadium’s base and interlace to make a stiff, robust shell. High-precision CNC milling in today’s sophisticated mass timber fabrication shops allows each family of elements to be fabricated to exact tolerances. The shell’s woven system and structurally optimized shape create a compelling interplay between form and function.

Each curved element is fabricated in the shop and connected in the field with simple, modular lap splice connections. The streamlined assembly of lightweight mass timber elements and the proximity of the site to the East River minimize construction complexity, noise, and truck traffic on local streets. Digital fabrication techniques reduce waste, and the simple nodal connections facilitate future disassembly and potential reuse.

Low-carbon, resilient design

Mass timber, a renewable and carbon-sequestering material, is strategically used to create a stadium that reduces reliance on carbon-intensive materials like steel and aluminum. By prioritizing mass timber, the design embodies a commitment to sustainability and aligns with the goals of a carbon-removal economy. The structural efficiency of the woven system reduces material use by leveraging reciprocal structure principles, further contributing to the stadium’s low-carbon profile. Through this approach, the stadium stands as an architectural landmark and a forward-thinking model for resilient urban infrastructure, paving the way for sustainable design in future large-scale developments.

The Woven Timber Shell achieves a 25 percent reduction in upfront embodied carbon compared to typical stadium benchmarks. Besides the already relatively low embodied carbon, a key advantage of using mass timber is its ability to store biogenic carbon captured by trees during their growth. This carbon remains stored in wood products even after the timber is processed. Furthermore, mass timber can be recycled or reused at the end of a building’s life cycle, which helps continue carbon storage. These carbon reduction benefits could potentially lead to outcomes that exceed net zero or even achieve net-negative carbon emissions.