COhatch is a key developer transforming Powell, Ohio’s downtown district, and Schaefer joined the team for the new coworking facility as the structural engineer of record, mass timber specialty engineer + mass timber special inspector.

The three-story office building has diverse spaces to fulfill its members’ needs. The first two floors are all business – coworking + meeting spaces, private offices, phone booth rooms, podcast rooms + kitchen. The third floor is the other end of the spectrum – an event space + rooftop bar.

The third floor was designed set back from the front facade to better blend in with the downtown cityscape, which predominately consists of one + two-story buildings. Stairs to the rooftop cantilever off of the building.

COhatch was built on a previously demolished site in an urban area. The structure’s primary building material is mass timber – specifically cross-laminated timber + glulam – chosen for aesthetics + sustainability. Schaefer added value with our mass timber knowledge, as the only design + construction team member with past experience with the materials. Additional construction materials included cold-formed metal framing, metal panels + masonry veneer for exterior cladding.