Dell Technologies Realize magazine Issue 6 | Page 14

trends

The rise of the wooden skyscraper

C onstructed in 1056 , the nine-story Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple rises 220 feet above Shanxi Province in northern China . It has survived numerous earthquakes and , for centuries , has remained unchallenged as the tallest wooden building anywhere in the world .

“ Wood is one of our oldest building materials ,” explains Andrea Frangi , Ph . D ., professor for Timber Structures at the Institute of Structural Engineering at ETH Zurich . “ We used to build entire cities out of timber ; we have timber buildings with a very long history that shows you how durable it is .”
Yet , with the advent of the Industrial Revolution , steel and concrete became the new basic ingredients of the construction industry . That transition may have fueled the growth of vertical cities , but it also has had dire consequences for the environment . The construction industry now accounts for around 37 % of CO 2 emissions , according to the United Nations Environment Programme , a large proportion of which is due to the energyintensive production of steel and concrete .
The construction industry accounts for around 37 % of global CO 2 emissions . Wooden high-rises could provide a more sustainable alternative to concrete and steel .
by Kathryn Nave
Completed in 2022 , the Ascent in Milwaukee is the world ’ s tallest hybrid mass timber structure .