The skyscrapers of the future will be made of wood
![]() |
European Central Bank (ECB) headquarters, Frankfurt. (REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski) |
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Vancouver-based architect Michael Green was unequivocal at a 2017 conference: “We grow trees in British Columbia that are 35 storeys tall, so why do our building codes restrict timber buildings to only five storeys?”
True, regulations in that part of Canada have changed relatively recently to permit an additional storey, but the point still stands. This can hardly be said to keep pace with the new manufacturing technologies and developments in engineered wood products that are causing architects and engineers to think very differently about the opportunities wood offers in the structure and construction of tall buildings.
Green himself produced a book in 2012 called 'Tall Wood', which explored in detail the design of 20-storey commercial buildings using engineered timber products throughout. Since then he has completed the Wood Innovation and Design Centre at the University of North British Columbia which, at 29.25 m (effectively eight storeys), is currently lauded as the tallest modern timber building in North America.
Until recently, the potential for using timber in towers was very limited. Platform timber frame – the system used, for example, to construct more than 70% of Scotland’s housing, by some calculations – is effective up to seven storeys in height. In Scotland, four or five storeys are built in timber as a matter of course. But any higher than seven storeys and structural challenges and simple economics always made it less effective.
The game-changer reached the skyline in 2009, not in North America but in London. The Stadthaus in Hackney’s Murray Grove, designed by Waugh Thistleton Architects and Techniker engineers, is a nine-storey building comprising 29 apartments, constructed almost entirely from cross-laminated solid wood panels. These provide strength, stability and, importantly, a convenient way of locking in considerable volumes of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
This became possible following the commercial development of cross-laminated timber in Austria in the 1990s, its increasing application in the UK, and the decision by Hackney Council that the carbon agenda was more important than the strict application of fire regulations that related to old forms of timber technology.
This ability to use a renewable material to provide a positive response to a key environmental issue facing the construction industry, namely global warming, is nothing short of transformational. The use of concrete is already responsible for 5% of global greenhouse-gas emissions.
[edit] Early days
The idea of using timber for taller buildings is still in the early days of being accepted across the industry, even if many engineers quickly realised the potential offered by Murray Grove.
The 10-storey cross-laminated timber Forte Building in Melbourne appeared shortly afterwards, and then a 14-storey apartment block in Bergen was completed only weeks ago. On a different scale entirely, and scheduled to complete in 2023, will be the 34-storey block in Stockholm’s Västerbro district, which will push the boundaries of timber construction to new limits.
A similar story exists in other, perhaps more conservative, cities such as Vienna, where plans were published for a 24-storey, mixed-use complex of apartments, hotel, restaurants and office space, the construction of which will be 76% timber.
A recent study by SOM architects and engineers has meanwhile indicated that a 42-storey concrete and glass apartment building the firm completed in its native Chicago in the early 1960s could now be recreated using a timber/concrete hybrid form of construction. Much research and development still needs to take place on connection design and other issues before such a structure is likely to see the light of day, but there is no doubt the only way is up as far as future timber construction is concerned.
[edit] Why the urge to build so high with wood?
Simple demographics indicate the scale of the global challenge and the need to think very differently about how we create the towns and cities of the future. Current projections indicate that 80% of the world’s population of eight billion will live in urban situations by 2050. Estimates for China alone indicate that in the next decade, some 75m multiple-family housing units will be required to accommodate the approximately 300m people expected to migrate into major urban and adjacent suburban areas.
Together with international concerns over accelerating climate change and the destructive scale and nature of the extraction processes involved in converting the raw materials required by conventional building technologies, this demands a paradigm shift in the way we conceive and construct new urban environments. The industry is looking at far more extensive applications of renewable materials, with wood the only genuine candidate.
At present, it is dense rather than excessively tall urban projects that are setting the agenda. Given that the London Building Acts came about as a consequence of the Great Fire in 1666, it is remarkable that the city is now seeing a huge expansion in solid timber building projects. The latest and biggest is Murray Grove - the cross-laminated timber, nine-storey block of 123 apartments that was recently completed in Hackney.
[edit] Will we see this tendency extend to other UK cities in the near future?
Given the enormous housing numbers projected by politicians of all persuasions during the past elections, it is highly likely that engineered timber structures will take a leading role. As well as the inherent environmental benefits, other important attractions include the speed of erection and the potential for precision offsite manufacture. Given these benefits, they will entirely change the way we think about wood construction.
[edit] About this article
This article was written by Peter Wilson, Director, The Wood Studio, Institute for Sustainable Construction at Edinburgh Napier University. It was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum. This article was also published on the Future of Construction Knowledge Sharing Platform and the WEF Agenda Blog.
[Image: The headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) are pictured in Frankfurt. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski.]
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Architectural Technology Studio 3
- Glulam.
- HAUT, Amsterdam.
- Interview with Structural Timber Association.
- Laminated veneer lumber LVL.
- Skyscraper.
- Sustainable materials.
- Tallest timber building in the world.
- Timber.
- Timber construction for London.
- Tratoppen, Stockholm.
--Future of Construction 14:52, 16 Jun 2017 (BST)
Featured articles and news
SELECT three-point plan for action issued to MSPs
Call for Scottish regulation, green skills and recognition of electrotechnical industry as part of a manifesto for Scottish Parliamentary elections.
UCEM becomes the University of the Built Environment
Major milestone in its 106-year history, follows recent merger with London School of Architecture (LSE).
Professional practical experience for Architects in training
The long process to transform the nature of education and professional practical experience in the Architecture profession following recent reports.
A people-first approach to retrofit
Moving away from the destructive paradigm of fabric-first.
International Electrician Day, 10 June 2025
Celebrating the role of electrical engineers from André-Marie Amperè, today and for the future.
New guide for clients launched at Houses of Parliament
'There has never been a more important time for clients to step up and ...ask the right questions'
The impact of recycled slate tiles
Innovation across the decades.
EPC changes for existing buildings
Changes and their context as the new RdSAP methodology comes into use from 15 June.
Skills England publishes Sector skills needs assessments
Priority areas relating to the built environment highlighted and described in brief.
BSRIA HVAC Market Watch - May 2025 Edition
Heat Pump Market Outlook: Policy, Performance & Refrigerant Trends for 2025–2028.
Committing to EDI in construction with CIOB
Built Environment professional bodies deepen commitment to EDI with two new signatories: CIAT and CICES.
Government Grenfell progress report at a glance
Line by line recomendation overview, with links to more details.
An engaging and lively review of his professional life.
Sustainable heating for listed buildings
A problem that needs to be approached intelligently.
50th Golden anniversary ECA Edmundson apprentice award
Deadline for entries has been extended to Friday 27 June, so don't miss out!
CIAT at the London Festival of Architecture
Designing for Everyone: Breaking Barriers in Inclusive Architecture.
Mixed reactions to apprenticeship and skills reform 2025
A 'welcome shift' for some and a 'backwards step' for others.