Could we build a wooden skyscraper? - Stefan Al

Explore the viability of wooden skyscrapers, and see how cross-laminated timber (CLT) helps make these once impossible structures possible.

--

Towering 85 meters above the Norwegian countryside, Mjøstårnet is the world’s tallest wooden building, made almost entirely from the trees of neighboring forests. But as recently as the end of the 20th century, engineers thought it was impossible to build a wooden building over 6 stories tall. So how do wooden structures like this compare to steel and concrete skyscrapers? Stefan Al investigates.

Lesson by Stefan Al, directed by Franz Palomares.

Support Our Non-Profit Mission
----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------

Connect With Us
----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------

Keep Learning
----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------

Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Petr Vacek, Rhys Patterson, Dennis, Olivia Fu, Katrina Adams, Regina Post, Mary Collins, Kari Teffeau, clumsybunnie, Adam Leos, Jeremy Laurin, Cindy Lai, Liz, Bhargav Pandravada, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, Dan Nguyen, sarim haq, Chin Beng Tan, Alejandro Gomez, Tom Boman, Karen Warner, Isorn Sookwanish, Iryna Panasiuk, Diane Gallin, Aaron Torres, Vasundhar, Eric Braun, Denka Wee, Daru Bhargav, Sonja Worzewski, Amy, Michael Clement, Ghaith Tarawneh, Nathan Milford, Dhanwanth Varadhan, Tomas Beckett, Alice Ice, Eric Berman, Kurt Paolo Sevillano, Xavi Ramos, Ron Kakar, Jennifer Heald, flóra lili donáti, Megulo Abebe, TAO7 HORUS, isolwi, Vedasheersh, Michael Chang, Waqar Sheikh, Alexander Gruber and Irene Y.

[randomuser]

"Wooden skyscrapers"

Termites: It's free real estate

[mortengoodwin]

“Standardized parts with clear instructions for assembly” The IKEA of skyscrapers.

[TheOliver]

Sweden: Assemble your own Furniture
Denmark: Assemble your own Toys
Norway: Assemble your own *Skyscrapers*

[BuddysDIY]

With lumber prices you could build them out of gold and it would be cheaper

[acozmicdolphin]

So what you're saying is that Mjøstårnet is an 18 story Jenga tower? Epic.

[RoSoliTaire]

Kurzgesagt: Hey, wanna terraform Venus?
TED-Ed: Hey, wanna build a wooden skyscraper?

[boarbot]

I really wish they’d shown us a photo of the building at the start.

[mikeveenhuis]

There are a few different issues with timber. Wood "lives", which means it expands and contracts under different environmental conditions. Timber is also so lightweight, that it could create issues in high rise construction regarding vibrations. Also, when timber is loaded for a long time, it gets issues regarding creep. Furthermore, the glue in GluLam is far from environmentally friendly. Lastly, detailing is very difficult, because as mentioned in the video, timber is very weak in any other direction than longitudinal. This means that a bolt or nail could easily fail when it is loaded in the "wrong" direction. Now, this doesn't mean that there is no hope or reason to build high rise buildings in timber, but the industry is still a little bit in its infancy.

[dkpsyhog]

"...creating standardized parts with clear instructions for assembly"
Trust a nordic country to make IKEA buildings

[sheeps]

Can’t wait for Ikea to start producing skyscrapers for self-assembly

[Mic_Glow]

"would reduce carbon footprint of those structures by more than 25%"
Nice, but how long do those structures last compared to concrete/ brick/ steel?

[CadetGriffin]

*Meanwhile, in a parallel universe*
Conspiracy theorists: "Jet fuel can't char wooden panels."

[clarinethro]

This is a weird riddle. It’s not even sponsored by Brilliant

[jenniferlam]

The animation is so satisfying to watch paired with the sound effects.

[hamzamahmood]

"Charred panels can be swapped out, unlike melted steel beams"

Jet fuel: ....

[yooper]

Sometimes I’m so caught up in watching the animation I seem to stop listening and have to watch again!
Think it reminds me of the cartoons I watched in the 70’s.

[catguy]

"Nice house! How'd you afford it?"
"I got it from Ikea."

[emmaeriksson]

Great way to show alternative and effective ways to reduce carbon footprint! Tho another problem by using woods is that often countries have bad forest politics which can results in homogenous forests with lack of diversity which leads to low chances of adapting to climate change and stand against forestfires.
That’s why politics is so important in the work of reducing the effects of climate change and why we can’t rely on good technology. But those two working together can really make changes!

[PCGeines]

As someone who wants to work with the timber civil construction industry, I loved the video. It describes quickly and clearly the pros of the material.

[shaikkhader]

the narrators voice is soo soothing: feeling sleepy now.