Best of Timber

Skyscrapers are symbols of innovation and wealth – at least in America. Not only on that continent building contractors return to wood as construction material for this type of building. Hickok Cole Architects from the US, for example, showed this in April with a draft for a 62 storey building. However, this was just a design study. Much more concrete are plans for “The Arbour”, a 10 storey university building, which is going to be built in the Canadian city of Toronto starting in 2021. Vancouver’s ambitions are even higher. According to a report in the daily newspaper Vancouver Sun, a 19 storey wooden tower with a height of 71 metres is planned in the city. The “Terrace House” was planned by famous architect Shigeru Ban.

Much more important than planned buildings, however, are those which have already been completed or at least those whose construction has already started. What is currently happening in this sector is enormous and unprecedented in this form. The current record is held by Mjøstårnet in Brumunddal in Norway which tops its “competitors” with its 85.5 metres of height. In March, the skyscraper will be inaugurated. Two months later, Vienna’s HoHo is going to open its doors to the public. Also, construction on Amsterdam’s conspicuous wooden building “HAUT” has started recently.

Never before this many tall buildings have been under construction at the same time. For this reason, it is not possible to list every single timber construction project which is under way in the world. However, the following selection of wooden skyscrapers with more than eight storeys, which are under construction, nearly completed or have been completed in 2018, gives an impressive overview of the current developments in the sector.