Wooden skyscrapers up to 50 stories tall could soon be part of cities

2023-01-02 -

Attempt to decarbonize and revitalize urban construction

In Australia, wooden skyscrapers up to 50 stories tall could soon be part of cities in a bid to decarbonise and revitalize urban construction. Three separate plans have been submitted to build hybrid timber buildings in Perth and Sydney between 180 and 220 meters tall. Each would more than double the height of the current world record holder, an 86.6-meter apartment building in Milwaukee, USA. Developer James Dibble, whose proposal for a 47-story apartment building in Perth is before the state development panel, said hybrid technology puts wood on a par with concrete and steel. "There really isn't any limitation to height other than the limitation of physics like any other building, to be blunt," he said. "And I would remind everyone that you can't grow concrete. If concrete were a country, it would be the third largest emitter in the world. Wooden skyscrapers are made possible by hybrid construction, which uses "mass timber" designed around a concrete core.