Index of topics
WOODEN SKYSCRAPERS
The game is played on a razor's edge. And every year the ranking is updated: now the tallest wooden skyscraper in the world is in Brumunddal, in Norway, just 140 kilometers from Oslo. With a height of 85,4 meters the Mjøstårnet. has narrowly surpassed the previous record held by Vienna's HoHo Tower (84 meters), made of wood and concrete. And in America too, the competition is updated month after month with new milestones: from the seven-story T3 in Minneapolis to the eight-story Corbon 12 in Portland.
ALSO READ: Spaceship: the self-sufficient spaceship. Made of wood, zero-impact. With a vertical garden.
WOODEN SKYSCRAPER IN NORWAY
Il MjøstårnetA true milestone in contemporary construction, the building was constructed from cross-laminated timber (CLT), a technology that allows for heavy loads and, crucially, excellent fire safety (because it is treated with fire-resistant materials). The "Norwegian giant" houses areas for various purposes, from apartments to fitness zones, as well as a hotel and a mega-swimming pool.
The idea of focusing on Wood For building, wood is certainly nothing new, in absolute terms. Just think that, until the 19th century, wood was the material par excellence for urban construction (and beyond). Then came the boom in steel and concrete, but now something is changing.
CLT panels offer a solution that can compete with traditional technologies.
The standard panel is composed of at least three layers of cross-glued coniferous wood planks. Depending on requirements, the number of layers can be increased, thus ensuring a variable thickness for the different sections of the panels used in the building.
The Norwegian skyscraper, designed by Voll Arkitekter, includes 32 apartments, a 72-room hotel, bars, and restaurants. 2.700 cubic meters of wood were used in its construction, saving 1.700 tons of CO2, equivalent to the energy consumption of 1.886 homes.
(The image is taken from the Visit Norway portal)
The world's largest wooden skyscraper in Tokyo
From Japan Much more than a suggestion is already arriving: in the Land of the Rising Sun they are planning to build, by 2041 (since all the technologies necessary for the work are still perfectible), the “W350”, a 350-meter tower, made almost exclusively Wood (The internal structure features a "hybrid" mix of wood and steel.) The monumental project was commissioned by Sumitomo Forestry Co., a company that conceived the work to celebrate its 350th anniversary: one meter in height for each year of the company's existence.
WOODEN SKYSCRAPERS IN VANCOUVER
No steel or concrete even for the skyscraper vancouver, work of the architect Michael Green (perhaps the surname is not a coincidence...) who designed two tall towers thirty meters. They will house residences and offices and will be among the tallest wooden skyscrapers in the world. Furthermore, the entire architecture of the buildings is inspired by the philosophy of waste reduction: solar energy, waste treatment and recycling, rainwater harvesting.
WOODEN SKYSCRAPER IN SWEDEN
THE HOHO WOODEN SKYSCRAPER IN VIENNA
A Vienna, in the heart of the city, the RLP Rudiger Lainer+Partner has designed two bodies of a skyscraper, already christened HoHo Vienna, which changed the skyline of the Austrian capital and became a sort of model for thewooden construction in large urban centers. HoHo Vienna is made up of two blocks for a total of 19.500 meters surface squares and 24 plans in height. Reinforced concrete is present only in a core of the foundations and the skeleton of the building, while wood represents 74 percent of the material used.
TO KNOW MORE: Wooden houses, here are the most beautiful in the world. From Australia to Korea, all the way to Tyrol (photos)
WOODEN SKYSCRAPERS IN THE WORLD
But there are also examples of this type in many other places around the world. In 2012, for example, in MelbourneIn Australia, a ten-story residential building was built with a structure entirely made of laminated timber panels (i.e. layers of pressed wood glued together). Wooden skyscrapers were also built shortly after Bergen, in Norway, a complex that houses 14-storey luxury apartments made of laminated wood, and London, where in 2015 “the Cube” was built, a 33-metre building opened in the London district of Shoreditch.
WOODEN CITIES IN SWEDEN
An entire town built from wood and concrete is expected to be completed in Sickla, an area south of Stockholm, by 2035. Called Stockholm Wood City, it will cover 250 square meters and will have 2 apartments, 7 offices, restaurants, and shops.
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ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF A WOODEN SKYSCRAPER
There are many international studies that highlight the advantages of a wooden skyscraper, even from an environmental point of view, compared to a building of the same size constructed of steel and concrete.
First of all, these skyscrapers have optimal energy performance because they benefit from many of the characteristics found in wooden buildings in mountain areas.
They also have shallower foundations, thus ensuring less impactful construction sites during construction.
WOODEN SKYSCRAPERS AND DEFORESTATION
One of the main arguments used by the detractors of the wooden skyscraper This refers to the issue of deforestation. But be careful, a balance is possible if using wood for construction encourages the planting of new trees. This also facilitates the "generational turnover" of cedars and cypresses planted decades ago and ready to be felled. Here too, the underlying principle is: use responsibly and avoid waste. Communities are called upon to maintain forests and woodlands in good condition, as these resources are progressively renewable if managed with a view to sustainable production processes. Building with wood can be a viable option, without neglecting to replenish the greenery. If we truly want to protect these essential areas of our ecosystem, there are many possible paths. In Russia, they are seriously considering this: they are promoting companies aimed at drastically reducing the use of paper for office activities, as an immediate response to deforestation.
WOODEN SKYSCRAPERS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Le wooden buildings of new conception also respond to the needs of contrasting climate changes. Steel and cement production is estimated to account for 16% of annual global emissions. Switching to wood could reduce emissions from the construction industry by approximately 31%. And because wood is lighter and easier to transport than traditional materials, it also reduces emissions related to transportation.
In the near future, as demand for urban housing grows, we must respond with feasible solutions, even before sustainable ones. Trees naturally absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, and wood is ideal for circular economy processes: it can be reused and recycled in a wide range of products and used as biomass to produce energy.
WOODEN SKYSCRAPERS AND LANDSCAPE
The urban landscape, especially in current and future megacity, it is inevitably destined to changeIn Japan, some people go out of their way to claim that Tokyo will become a forest, imagining the wooden skyscrapers that will rise there in the next thirty years. In 2010, the Japanese government enacted specific measures to encourage the construction of numerous institutional buildings in wood.
The city of the future will therefore be observed with the eyes of the explorer, curious to discover elegant constructions that are much less aggressive than the steel totems that crowd the streets today. downtown from half the world.
Music to the ears, too, because building wooden buildings is much quieter: no heavy machinery is needed to dig deep foundations, pump concrete, or move steel beams.
(Featured image from the Casa Natura – Case in Legno Facebook page)
ALL THE ADVANTAGES OF WOODEN HOUSES:
- Wooden houses: 5 myths to debunk. Here are all the features that make them safe.
- Savings, safety, and well-being: these are the benefits of a wooden home (Photos)
- Energy efficiency and low environmental impact: the advantages of wooden houses
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