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Construction underway on the "world's tallest" mass timber skyscraper

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Construction has begun on Neutral Edison (The Edison), a 31-story mass timber tower in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, which will become the "world's tallest" building of its kind once completed in 2026.

The building will reach a height of 110 m (362 ft) in 2026 and will include around 350 residential units, ground-floor commercial space, and a rooftop amenity level.

Located on the former site of a surface parking lot on N Edison Street between the city and the Milwaukee River, the project is led by US developer Neutral (formerly The Neutral Project), with Wisconsin-based CD Smith Construction as the general contractor.

It was designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture (USA), with structural engineering by Thornton Tomasetti (USA) and mass timber supplied by Stora Enso (Finland) and Wiehag (Austria).

The Edison will surpass Milwaukee’s Ascent MKE tower, the current record-holder for the world’s tallest mass timber building at 25 stories and 87 m, completed in 2022. Once finished, The Edison will stand less than 1.6 km from Ascent MKE, meaning the two tallest mass timber skyscrapers in the world will be within a ten-block urban area.

No other mass timber project currently under construction has confirmed plans to exceed The Edison’s proposed height, though several taller hybrid concepts, such as the Atlassian Central tower in Sydney, Australia, remain in various stages of development or design.

Both Ascent and The Edison rely on hybrid structural systems, including a concrete core combined with cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glued laminated timber for floors and structural framing.

As with Ascent MKE, The Edison required special permitting considerations, particularly around fire testing and human safety standards.

The total construction cost is expected to be approximately $200 million, with CD Smith securing around $133 million in financing to begin construction.

In a statement announcing the groundbreaking, CD Smith and Neutral positioned the development as a milestone in sustainable construction, citing mass timber’s carbon storage potential and reduced environmental footprint compared to conventional high-rise building materials.

Neutral aims to achieve both Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) certification and Living Building Challenge Core certification, placing the project among the most environmentally ambitious skyscrapers currently under construction in North America.

Developers believe the structural system will enable faster construction, lower embodied carbon, and improved indoor air quality.

Beyond material performance, the building will feature high-efficiency HVAC systems, triple-glazed windows, and a thermal envelope designed to exceed baseline energy codes. Neutral stated this approach will reduce operational energy consumption by up to 50% compared to conventional multifamily towers.

Source:Construction Briefing