The skyscrapers of the future might not be made of metal.
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Tree-Scrapers: 6 Wooden Buildings Reaching New Heights
Media Platforms Design Team
The World's cities will need to accommodate an additional 2.4 billion people by 2050, according to the World Health Organization, and a growing number of architects think those residents could live in wooden skyscrapers. Every cubic meter of wood sequesters 1 ton of carbon from the atmosphere. Compared with concrete and steel, building with lumber would reduce emissions by up to 81 percent, says architect Michael Green, who will complete construction on British Columbia's Wood Innovation and Design Centre in September. The finished structure is expected to be 96.7 feet, which will make it the world's tallest wooden building.
Wooden architecture is reaching these new heights thanks to mass timber. Composed of thin layers of wood from young or low-grade trees glued together into giant panels up to 16 inches thick, mass timber is stronger than a regular 2 x 4, allowing architects to build towers as high as 42 stories.