A remarkably ambitious proposal in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, looks set to take timber to new heights. Assuming all goes to plan, the project will become the world's tallest timber skyscraper once complete.
The currently unnamed skyscraper is designed by Michael Green Architecture (MGA), the founder of which is a pioneer of modern timber construction and has played a huge part in popularizing modern big wooden buildings in North America.
We don't actually have an exact height figure at this early stage, but the firm has said that it will consist of up to 55 floors. To put this into perspective, the current world's tallest timber building, which is also in Milwaukee, is the Ascent, which contains just 25 floors. So it will be a substantial height increase. The tower will be partially covered with greenery and include multiple terrace areas. It's also part of a larger development by Neutral that will be built on the site of an existing garage that's a local landmark and the site of a, ahem, beloved snow pile.
"The proposed development represents a significant investment of over US$700 million, encompassing multiple mixed-use buildings," explained MGA. "The project, planned in several phases, could include up to 750 residential units, 190,000 square feet [roughly 17,600 sq m] of office space, 40,000 square feet [3,700 sq m] of retail space, 300 hotel rooms, parking spaces, and vibrant public plazas and walkways. MGA, renowned for its leadership in mass timber architecture, will spearhead the design efforts, supported by an experienced team including HGA, Gehl People, C.D. Smith, and Thornton Tomasetti."
There's no word yet as to whether or not the skyscraper will incorporate some concrete for stability, however at that sort of height we'd be frankly astonished if it doesn't. The tallest all-timber building remains the 85.4 m (280-ft)-tall Mjøstårnet in Norway, and anything taller has so far involved at least some concrete reinforcement.
Many people get concerned at the thought of a wooden skyscraper, imagining it will be some sort of tinderbox that will ignite with a misplaced cigarette or kitchen fire. However, modern mass timber (such as glulam and cross-laminated timber) isn't like traditional lumber. Instead, it's manufactured in factories and consists of many layers of wood glued together to form a much stronger wooden beam that can even perform better in fire than steel due to the way it chars rather than fully igniting.
Such concerns will need to be overcome if the record-breaking wooden skyscraper is to go ahead and on that note, plans have now been submitted to city officials.
Sources: City of Milwaukee, MGA