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Wooden Skyscrapers are Changing the Skyline and Our Environmental Future
The rise of the wooden skyscraper
There are perhaps no two things more heavily linked than steel and skyscrapers. The advent of modern steel allowed humans to build taller and taller buildings. Steel started flooding cities like New York City and Chicago, allowing for structures like the Flatiron Building and the Masonic Temple Building to come into existence. Steel is the backbone of nearly every major metropolitan area. Every major city is bejeweled with skyscrapers built from strong and lightweight steel. But that is slowly changing.
Due to costs, environmental concerns, and a search for more renewable resources, engineers are turning toward wood to build the next generation of skyscrapers. Just like how refinement in the steel manufacturing process led to an explosion of new buildings at the turn of the 20th century, advances in wood construction and engineering have allowed wooden skyscrapers to grow larger and taller than ever before. If we can build skyscrapers out of wood, the future will look both different and the same. Cities will still be able to retain their look and their prestige from skyscrapers while also working toward a brighter and more environmentally friendly future.
