Michael Green: Why we should build wooden skyscrapers

Building a skyscraper? Forget about steel and concrete, says architect Michael Green, and build it out of ... wood. As he details in this intriguing talk, it's not only possible to build safe wooden structures up to 30 stories tall (and, he hopes, higher), it's necessary.

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[juiianaremor]

This video made me fall in love with timber structures, I am a Structure Engineer from Brazil and now a professor of timber structures, I also want to do my Ph.D on this area to build a better and sustainable world.

[TheThompson]

During the video they talked about wood buildings being fire resistant. There are several examples throughout history where buildings and siege equipment were used to make war equipment fire proof I think that if we looked into those solutions than we would be able to fix those problems.

[CyberiusT]

Like everyone else, I was (and am) concerned about fire - as soon as "wooden building" is mentioned, that thought is right there in your head. But he addressed that.

What wasn't addressed is something most Australians are intimately familiar with: TERMITES! OK, so those are not unique to us - the UK has woodworm that also ruins timber structures - but most countries don't have 7' high termite mounds. There's a really good reason a lot of Aus homes are now built with steel frames. You can treat timber with toxic chemicals to stop them, of course, but then you have a toxic building, you've created a big problem with disposing of the material when you pull it down, and the previously-mentioned fire problem has just become a toxic chemical spill.

[Kyoooooog]

Dont forget Bamboo! this material is growing a lot faster than wood and pretty strong too

[solrac]

wood is a great insulator as well therefore, it will be wise to build more wooden skyscarpers in colder regions of the world.

[satinderchawla]

Spot on! Wood is a really versatile material and the newest technologies are causing a rethink on how we think about this wonder of nature!

[aboood]

there are 2 questions that he forgot to address:

1-is wood structurally sound and able to face strong winds, earthquakes, and heavy loads?

2- what about moisture and mold? i think even if it was layered and protected with materials, this can be fatal since it's affecting the main structure of a building.

the idea isn't bad but it definitely needs a lot of refining.

[louisswanepoel]

Great idea, nice speech. I really do hope that this will become reality.

[JayFolipurba]

The Japanese built with wood 1000 years ago without glue, screws, nails or magic. Through craftsmanship carved wood with precision and skill still holds buildings from 1000 years ago, even in a seismic area like japan. I'd love to see my kids children life in a save wood house!

[spanfloors]

We have been marketing Vulcan timber for the last 6 years in India and it has changed my belief system about wood completely. This new technology handles the traditional challenges with timber - movement, high maintenance and termites/fungal decay. And that too in a sustainable manner. When you see on the ground projects where natural timber is performing very differently, in the right way, it forces you to change how you think!

[masonkane]

Wood is actually a pretty easily renewable resource and as he said, the population is quickly urbanizing. This all makes sense.
I think to get the most bang for the buck, a composite material would be best though. I'm no engineer, but I'm thinking a laminate of wood with a few thin steel or plastic layers incorporated for extra strength?

[TimesNuRoman]

he addresses this in the video...Wood, especially large members, take very long to burn. Steel isnt as strong as you think; it turns to spaghetti under fire conditions.

[imwithstupid]

So many considerations left out during the talk.

[michaeljohnston]

I've always thought going up was the wrong idea anyway... why not go down? It makes it easier to maintain heat and cooling in disparate climates, it's less pressing on the ecosystems because there is more of an albedo effect if we can replace space filed with skyscrapers with greenery or other cooling materials, plus you have more versatility with material usage.

[MazeFrame]

Sounds good. Just needs some more attention and planning but it should work!

[sladkajes]

I liked the buildings they are truely calming and natural looking :)

[HondoTrailside]

This makes sense to me after 40 years building advanced structures in wood, though certainly not skyscrapers.

One quibble is over the natural aspect of all this. The wood structures shown when he was describing human response were real sticks of lumber, or possibly glue lam beams that most people think are "natural". But these products are from the trees he promises not to cut. The stuff he is proposing is going to be as natural as a sheet of osb. I think we are talking Franken products here that may not be huggable but could be quite useful. We are also probably getting some Franken forests with heavy GMO engineered wood.

[davidhoggan]

Its not about solving the problem, its about contributing to the solution where ever we can. Its going to take change in all areas big industry to conquer that problem.

[Yibble]

"Do you respect wood? Ya gotta respect the wood". -- Larry David, Curb YE

[JRPeyesatsne]

There are a large number of hemp-based building materials and products, and yes, it is totally banned in the Land of the Free (tm). There is hemp-crete (with the fibers acting as rebar and the chaff acting as insulation); hemp-based lumber (compressed/glued fibers) and hemp plastic (hemp seeds contain lots of oil). Yes, they are heavily treated and processed, but no more than many wood products (e.g. fiberboard) and grows many many times faster and is much easier to harvest.