Plyscrapers can be built quickly
Compared with the so-called conservative skyscrapers,
plyscrapers require much less time to be constructed.
Plyscrapers can be bolted in no time and not much
craftsmanship is required.It literally fits together like
a set of Lego. Moreover, CLT does not have any setting
time as in concrete, which results in a speedy construction.
So, what stands between us and plyscrapers? Mainly, it
is because architects and engineers have only just begun
to realize the practical possibility of bringing wood
back into the field of construction with the invention of
CLT.And the field of construction and investors need some time to get used to this idea. Furthermore,
new codes have to be made regarding wooden construction. It seems plyscrapers
are only a matter of time when the current trend for wooden skyscrapers is concerned. There
are many plyscraper projects coming by and a few projects have already been completed.
The world’s tallest completed wooden building (up to September 2019) is situated in Norway.
It was built for the municipality of Brummundal. It spans into a great height of 81 meters
and it consists of 18 storeys with 27 apartments. Anyway, the title for the tallest plyscraper
might change in the near future as London is considering the erection of a gargantuan
80-story mass timber office block called Oakwood Tower. By the way, some other completed
plyscrapers are mentioned below.
• Forte, Melbourne, Australia (33 meters)
• The Cube, London, UK (34 meters)
• The Tree Bergen, Norway (40 meters)
To sum up, wooden skyscrapers are no more a far-fetched dream. If commonly practiced,
plyscrapers would be one of the most sustainable things that mankind has ever produced. It
is true that the field of wooden skyscrapers is still young, but like the trees that it relies on, it
will grow into a lush, green sustainable future.
References
1. Wooden skyscrapers: a roundup of tall timber buildings [Available at:
https://www.designboom.com/ar
chitecture/wooden-skyscrapers-timber-tower-construction-round
up-07-31-2016/ ]
Ashan Thilina Halahakoon,
Thrid Year –Department of
Civil Engineering,
Faculty of Engineering,
University of Peradeniya.
Page 56
University of Peradeniya GAUGE Magazine