Will the Skyscrapers of the Future Be Made of Wood?

Wood has emerged as a key material for the construction industry. It is a renewable and sustainable resource, when harvested rationally and appropriately, and has a significantly smaller carbon footprint compared to traditional building materials such as concrete and steel. Wood can retain carbon dioxide during forest growth, and the manufacturing of wood-based building materials requires less energy, resulting in lower greenhouse gas emissions during the process. In addition to its environmental benefits, wood also offers aesthetic advantages, providing a sense of warmth and visual beauty, creating pleasant and welcoming interior spaces. However, building with wood is not limited to small cottages and ancillary structures. With the use of advanced technologies, mass-timber construction is a sustainable alternative for high-rise buildings, using wood from planted forests and employing BIM technology and prefabrication and modularity techniques, which makes construction faster, cleaner, and less error-prone.

In recent years we have witnessed the construction of wooden skyscrapers in various parts of the world, with projects such as the Treet in Bergen, Norway, and the Brock Commons Tallwood House in Vancouver, Canada. In addition to these, it is also worth mentioning the impressive Mj?st?rnet, known as the Mj?sa Lake Tower, as well as other ongoing developments, such as the one being built in the Chilean Patagonia. A notable example can be found in Canada, where government incentives have been granted to build schools and even industrial facilities with mass timber, due to its environmental and sustainable advantages.

However, it is important to note that wood construction in high-rise buildings faces technical and regulatory challenges, such as fire safety issues and the need for updated approvals and building codes. Therefore, while there is growing interest in wood high-rise construction, large-scale adoption is still under development and will depend on overcoming these challenges. In this issue of the Building Future Newsletter, we will look at wood buildings and their possibilities.

What are your opinions and concerns on this topic? Leave your thoughts in the comments and see you in the next issue!

Eduardo Souza, Senior Editor, Brands & Materials

BIM and Digital Design: A Closer Look at How Mass Timber goes from Factory to Building Site

Renewable materials such as wood have been singled out as the future, especially when incorporating production technologies and design methods and processes.

Could Tall Wood Construction Be the Future of High-Rise Buildings?

Across the globe, tall wood structures have begun transforming the world of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings.

The Challenges of Designing a Reusable, Floating Wooden Building

Challenges of building a floating building, completely self-sufficient and, after fulfilling its useful life, can be completely reused.

First-Ever Earthquake Simulation in a 10-Story Mass Timber Building

Tallwood Project tested a 10-story mass timber building for seismic resistance on the world's largest earthquake simulator.

Is Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) the Concrete of the Future?

New timber technologies are beginning to deliver similar opportunities – and even superior ones – to those provided by concrete.