World’s tallest timber building

2022

In 2019, a building named Mjøstårnet has confirmed as world’s tallest wooden building with its 85.4 meters height. In less than a year, the Ascent building in Milwaukee, which has broken it with 1 meter higher.

These building's structural frame is made from a material called glue-laminated timber (GLT), and  cement used only because these buildings needed more mass to ensure the building's stability in strong winds. Mjøstårnet is an 18-storey mixed-use tower. It is the work of Voll Arkitekter and builders HENT and Moelven Limtre (both Norway). Named Ascent in Milwaukee, the residential-led mixed-use scheme has 259 apartments and a sixth-floor pool.

The central structure of the Rocket&Tigeli building will be made of timber but, in order to fit in with the surrounding buildings, it’ll be covered in red and yellow terracotta bricks. It also won’t just comprise a single tower: the building will form part of an entire timber neighbourhood. The designs include four buildings with a leafy central plaza and a mixture of housing and retail space – including a restaurant, hotel and ‘sky bar’. The Rocket&Tigeli building is set to be completed in 2026. 

So, why build skyscrapers out of timber? Well, it’s a lighter material than concrete and takes far less energy to build with. It’s also much, much better for the environment because it’s renewable (you can always grow more trees). And before you ask: no, reinforced timber is not particularly flammable.