Redefining Transit with Timber: Mountain Line’s Downtown Connection Center Becomes Northern Arizona’s First Mass Timber Facility
With its distinctive sustainable design, the Mountain Line Downtown Connection Center (DCC) in Flagstaff, Arizona, is making headlines—and for good reason. As only the second mass timber facility in the state and the first in Northern Arizona, the DCC is drawing attention for its innovative design and environmental leadership.
Engineering News-Record (ENR) Mountain States and Southwest recently spotlighted the project in a feature article that explores DCC’s cutting-edge design and the extensive coordination required to bring it to life. The story includes insights from project partners across the team, including AEI Phoenix’s own Brett McQuillan, Senior Building Performance Project Consultant. In the article and accompanying video, Brett discusses how AEI designed the DCC to achieve net-zero energy, incorporating a suite of sustainable systems: radiant heated and cooled floors, chilled beams, cold-climate air source heat pumps, and photovoltaic panels capable of producing approximately 80 kilowatts.
AEI Phoenix’s Brett McQuillan and Lauren Reynolds joined members of the City of Flagstaff, Coconino County Sustainability and Facilities teams, and Northern Arizona University for a tour of the DCC.
These technologies not only enhance energy performance but also reduce overhead ductwork, allowing for greater visibility of the building’s exposed cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure. Brett also highlights the facility’s future as a major electric bus charging hub, with a projected electrical demand of 6 megawatts, making it one of the largest point loads in Flagstaff.
The article includes a behind-the-scenes video from the jobsite offering a closer look at the DCC under construction.