Knock On Wood…
The concept of constructing a wooden skyscraper has been previously disregarded for many reasons, the main one being the lack of strength that wood has to support it’s own weight. After about four storeys, wood does not have the ability to hold itself up strong enough for further storeys to be legally added. But, leave it up to Canadians to find a way around this, and to propose a feasible development with wood as the main infrastructure.
A 30 storey wooden skyscraper development has been proposed in Vancouver, BC. Skeptics are questioning the credibility of this development due to the previous hurdle regarding weight support, but a talented group of architects have found a way around this it would seem. They have in fact found an answer to the skeptics questions. “…using large pieces of glued laminated timber can be the solution for these problems. Laminated timber, also known as Glulam, is a type of timber made of many layers of dimensioned timber stuck together with moisture resistant adhesives which makes it durable.”
With the wood coming from sustainable sources, and with wood being a far more eco-friendly building material than concrete (if it is sourced from sustainable areas) are we seeing the future of construction develop before our very eyes? Will this building be furnished with re-assembled or recycled furniture, or have self-sustaining kitchens? only time will tell. Join the conversation on Twitter and let us know what you think.
photo courtesy of http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-27300135
