2026 Impact Report
Mass timber construction, which uses engineered wood panels in place of conventional steel and concrete systems, is gaining traction as a lower-carbon building approach. At 619 Ponce in Atlanta, JE Dunn delivered a four-story, 89,000-square-foot office building with 27,000 square feet of retail using mass timber as the primary structural system.
It was Atlanta’s first Georgia-grown mass timber building utilizing a regional supply chain of Southern Yellow Pine.
Material sourcing was a key factor in the project’s overall impact.
Most of the timber was manufactured and delivered from within a 200-mile radius of the jobsite, which reduced transportation-related emissions while supporting regional forestry and manufacturing industries.
The use of prefabricated wood panels also influenced construction performance. Components were manufactured offsite using computer numerical control (CNC) equipment for precise cutting. This process minimized material waste and allowed for efficient on-site assembly. It also reduced the amount of on-site labor required and contributed to a more controlled construction environment.
In addition to construction efficiencies, mass timber offers carbon-related advantages. Wood acts as a carbon store, and when sourced from responsibly managed forests, it can be replenished over time. Compared to more carbon-intensive materials like steel and concrete, mass timber systems can lower the embodied carbon associated with a building’s structure.
At 619 Ponce, these factors, including local sourcing, prefabrication, and material efficiency, demonstrate how mass timber can be applied in a commercial office setting to support more resource-conscious construction practices.
