Wooden skyscrapers: Sustainable homes of the future?

Researchers from Cambridge University’s Centre for Natural Material Innovation based at the Department of Architecture are working with PLP Architecture and engineers Smith and Wallwork on the future development of timber skyscrapers.
Various teams around the world are hoping to produce the tallest wooden skyscraper, the research team from Cambridge have completed holistic work on three proposals for timber skyscrapers in London, Chicago, and the Hague. All three will be on show to the public at the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition 2019, freely open from July 1-7. The team’s exhibit-Timber Towers of Tomorrow-is the culmination of a five year research project.
The use of timber as a structural material in tall buildings has a variety of potential benefits; it is a renewable resource, unlike concrete and steel, it has reduced costs, improved construction timescales, increased fire resistance, significant reduction in the weight of buildings, and gives enormous psychological well-being to the inhabitants of cities that comes from being surrounded by wood as compared with concrete.

[@KunalSharma-dx8dg]

The fire prevention mechanism they used is the best part of this.

[@universityofcambridgedepar715]

"The buildings of the future may be held together through rapid interactions happening at the molecular level," says our colleague Professor Oren Scherman, Director of the Melville Lab for Polymer Synthesis. One of the Chemistry researchers collaborating on this fascinating project, hear him in this video discussing how "perhaps in future, we'll be able to remove the concept of a nail or a screw holding two timber joints together and instead, this will all be done through small molecules that come together at very specific interfaces and give the wood unbelievable strength."

[@maxfmfdm]

Thanks to everyone involved in showing us that wood can be a viable construction material for tall buildings. That's really all that is needed. Once people realize something is possible then people get on board (hur hur puns).

[@weegautube]

Great concept! Naturally I have a few questions such as how to handle the piping and wire conduits. In steel concrete buildings, they’re easily housed inside of or through the concrete panels still maintaining structural strength.

[@KunalSharma-dx8dg]

Using a large mass damper might prevent shaking during earthquakes.

[@MarcioCapuera]

Amazing !!!

[@DerekFolan]

For skyscrappers, I think wood with steel is better, The main frame should be steel. Wood flooring good i agree, Wood divide walls good, use spray on concreate to coat the wood same as steel to make it more burn proof. Maybe build 3 floors using wood in between 1 steel frame. Maybe have a steel frame core and then make the exterior with wood, having not only taller buildings but having very wide buildings, like mega structures for housing.

[@sneaverson]

This is an amazing video, thank you! I'm currently writing my MA dissertation on the potential for CLT to help London meet its climate targets - is there anyone I could get in touch with in particular to hear their thoughts? Cheers.

[@ninabykova1661]

exquisite!

[@jamesmcfarlane9112]

Strange. When I was a child people complained about chopping down trees

[@cagatayulusoygirl4544]

Interesting but I want to ask a question how is it going to face natural calamities, high winds. As high infrastructure will be, winds will also blow with high speeds. Waiting for an answer.

[@cambridgeuniversity]

Hi, You should be able to find the answer here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJK6aJ1nqbqHe6s

[@julesgouton945]

Thé vidéo dis not confront the rotting aspect of wood. Is there anyone that can explain how this is bypassed?

[@sheilamesa1533]

Jenga!

[@danielmendez9433]

Hi there all. Watch the video before commenting, thanks!

[@EP-pg3xs]

So far I haven't heard anyone say this but....bedbugs, roaches etc.. and various critters can live in wood but not concrete...this could create a huge pest problem, also rotting? will it eventually decay or get weaker? what if someones apartment floods with water? I get it its stronger than regular wood but still in extreme cases not sure if people looked into that. Immagine the whole thing eaten by termites lol...

[@naakatube]

💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

[@petesmith433]

Did they answer the question about rotting? Would it just require great CC?

[@patrycjakujawska723]

If you want to build wooden skyscraper please remember to use moon wood, as the structure of wood cut in a certain moon stage make it undefeated.

[@melaniamonicacraciun9900]

As long as we do not have to devastate all forests on this planet, fans, we need to add more green areas to let our Planet breathe before we risk to go fried for good, we need to hurry up, giving buildings a green coat, even for a saving electrical power need, yeah, the best investiment above all, creating vertical gardens and new touristic atractions

[@thandekampofu8470]

OK I love the idea but if we are trying to be more sustainable wouldn't we want to reduce deforestation which is not what we would be doing if we built in wood. Finally wouldn't we have to measure how much carbon emission we would be increasing by deforestation and how much we would be reducing by planting plants on the building.(Hope that makes sense I'm not in University yet😂)

[@melaniamonicacraciun9900]

Anyone is familiar by now with huge trucks huge freezers on wheels for food transports. Tell me how much fuel do they burn and why home freezers need ten times more electrical power for being ten times smaller. How much commercial centers could save on the electrical bill replacing the freezers technology? Saving money on the electrical bill they could build up vertical gardens all external walls we could have the Babylon hanging farms to walk in for all the veggies needs, fans, wish you dream forward, how many beautiful thing we could do if decided to love our Mother Earth and let her breathe some more

[@MasterBasser]

there is no way in hell that a wood building will outlast a metal one in terms of years. The amount of maintenance needed for the wood one.... the ease with which is burns down... just aint feasible.

[@deuxiemeetage_]

Ever heard of the Sakyamuni structure? its over 1500 years old

[@dunkindonato2828]

minecraft in real life

[@FXJerzy]

People work more and more via internet, why to stuck in cities we not need skyscreapers bat a better way to travel between homes and city centers.

[@MrLightingbird]

Unfortunately, there is still a lack of understanding of what SUSTAINABILITY is. You have heard one word Sustainability and now everyone is chewing it. Sustainability is much more than using a material that needs to grow for more than 20 years to make something out of it! Change of consciousness

[@rond5936]

I don't think wooden skyscrapers and buildings have a future. The shear scale of Buildings required to meet targets means we could end up chopping most trees down when we move in that direction.

[@abdul5834]

What if the skyscraper catches on fire? It’s wood

[@Zoza15]

Have you watched the video dude..

[@cagatayulusoygirl4544]

2:28 onwards they are saying about wood they have used that will not catch fire Please watch the full video and then ask questions.

[@gloin10]

Abdul "What if the skyscraper catches on fire? It’s wood"? BEFORE asking questions, try WATCHING the video...

[@GetToThePointAlready]

Will never happen as long as termites and other wood-eating insects, woodpeckers, and fire exists. Nice attempt though.

[@naramsin1853]

Yeah, accelerate deforestation and call it 'cutting down on emissions'. Ridiculous.

[@cambridgeuniversity]

Hi, this should answer your question. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJK6aJ1nqbqHe6s

[@danielmendez9433]

Did you watch the video.

[@peterukkonen9959]

Naram Sin, the idea is that the wood is sustainably sourced, and acts as a permanent carbon SINK when used in construction, as opposed to concrete and steel, which are responsible for massive amounts of CO2 emissions! This is actually a very promising solution for fighting climate change. Besides the carbon sink aspect, they also have good thermal insulation properties, reducing the need for heating.

[@lifepiece9551]

Yes use a 500 year old tree thats really sustainable. How about a tree plantation for sky scrapers , ready time ? 500 years 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂