Construction Manager’s timeline of timber high-rise in 12 projects

As the UK’s tallest timber tower nears completion in Hackney, Construction Manager takes a look back at the most influential timber towers that have already been built and forward to those we will see in the near future.

Timber highlights…

Murray Grove, Hackney

Also known as the Stadthaus, this nine-storey tower in Hackney was the tallest modern timber structure in the world when it was completed in 2008.

Designed by architect Waugh Thistleton, the building was constructed from cross-laminated timber panels from the first floor upwards. The 29 apartments were completed within 49 weeks.

Forté, Melbourne

Designed and built by Lend Lease, the 10-storey apartment is the current tallest pure CLT structure in the world. Standing 32m high, the tower in Melbourne, Australia, contains 23 flats above a level of ground floor retail. The CLT structure was constructed by a team of five skilled labourers in just 10 weeks.

Wood Innovation and Design Center, British Columbia

Completed last year the eight-storey Wood Innovation and Design Center (WIDC) in Prince George, Canada, is North America’s tallest timber building. Designed by leading timber architect Michael Green, the 29m high building is a hybrid of glulam columns and beams with CLT walls.

Bridport House, Hackney

This 41 unit, eight-storey social housing block in Hackney was designed by Karakusevic. CLT was chosen as the building had to be designed and built within 18 months and there was a major sewer directly beneath the building so a lightweight solution was necessary. At the time it was the largest solid timber building in the UK.

G3 Shopping Resort, Vienna

One of Europe’s largest timber buildings, the 500m long shopping centre, which was designed by Austrian architects ATP, is covered by a 20,000 sq m contoured roof constructed from glulam beams and CLT.

… And the future of timber construction

Waterfront towers, Stockholm

Last month Swedish architecture firm Tham & Videgård unveiled designs for a row of four 20-storey apartment blocks made entirely of timber for an urban regeneration scheme in Stockholm. If approved the buildings would be constructed entirely from Swedish solid wood, from the load bearing structure to the facade, finishes and windows.

Dalston Lane, Hackney

This 121-unit residential block, which is on site in Dalston Lane, Hackney, will be the largest cross laminated timber (CLT) building in the world, when it completes next year. Designed by architect Waugh Thistleton the 10-storey building will use 3,852 cu m of CLT, more than has been used on any other project in the world.

HSB tower, Stockholm

Danish architect CF Møller, in collaboration with DinellJohansson, won a design competition organised by Sweden’s largest housing cooperative HSB to design a “solution to high-density sustainable living”. The proposed 34-storey timber skyscraper, which would be constructed with pillars and beams made of solid wood, is scheduled to be complete by 2023 to celebrate the client’s 100th anniversary.

HoHo, Vienna

Plans have been mooted for a 25-storey wooden skyscraper in Vienna, Austria. According to Austrian architects Rüdiger Lainer and Partner (RLP) the structure of the twin towers, the tallest of which would reach 84m, would be 70% timber. The skyscraper would contain offices, commercial space and apartments.

The Tree, Bergen

This 14-storey, 49m high structure, which is currently on site in Bergen, Norway, uses metre-thick columns of glulam to carry all the vertical load and two concrete decks on top of the 5th and 10th floors, and also employs cross-laminated timber (CLT).

Tallwood tower, Vancouver

Michael Green Architects have proposed building a 30-storey timber tower in Vancouver. The proposal forms part of Michael Green’s 200-page timber feasibility study, The Case for Tall Wood Buildings. Although structurally this building could be realised, at present it doesn’t have a client or a site.

US tall tower competition

Last October the US Department of Agriculture launched an ideas competition to design a tall wooden building with a $2m prize. The winner of the contest is expected to be announced later this year.