The Case For Tall Wood Buildings

The Case For Tall Wood Buildings

Michael Green is calling for a drastic paradigm shift in the way we build. Forget steel, straw, concrete and shipping containers; use wood to erect urban skyscrapers. In a 240 page report - complete with diagrams, plans, renders and even typical wooden curtain wall details - Green outlines a new way of designing and constructing tall buildings using mass timber, all the while addressing common misconceptions of fire safety, structure, sustainability, cost and climate concerns.

Excerpt from report, "The Case For Tall Wood Buildings":

Wood is the most significant building material we use today that is grown by the sun. When harvested responsibly, wood is arguably one of the best tools architects and engineers have for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and storing carbon in our buildings. The Case for Tall Wood Buildings expands the discussion of where we will see wood and specifically Mass Timber in the future of the world’s skylines. As we pursue the solar and green energy solutions that Thomas Edison spoke of over 80 years ago, we must consider that we are surrounded by a building material that is manufactured by nature, a material that is renewable, durable and strong.

The report describes a new structural system in wood that represents the first significant challenge to concrete and steel structures since their inception in tall building design more than a century ago. The introduction of these ideas is driven by the need to find safe, carbon-neutral and sustainable alternatives to the incumbent structural materials of the urban world. The potential market for these ideas is quite simply enormous. The proposed solutions have the potential to revolutionize the building industry, address the major challenges of climate change, urbanization, and sustainable development and to significantly contribute to world housing needs. 

Review the full report, "The Case For Tall Wood Buildings".

Courtesy of Michael Green Architecture
Courtesy of Michael Green Architecture
Courtesy of Michael Green Architecture

Related coverage on ArchDaily:

TED: Why We Should Build Wooden Skyscrapers / Michael Green
The Timber Tower Research Project: Re-imagining the Skyscraper
Wooden Skyscraper / Berg | C.F. Møller Architects

About this author
Cite: Jose Luis Gabriel Cruz. "The Case For Tall Wood Buildings" 28 Oct 2013. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/443626/the-case-for-tall-wood-buildings> ISSN 0719-8884

You've started following your first account!

Did you know?

You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.