Wooden

Japanese lumber and housing firm Sumitomo Forestry has unveiled an ambitious plan to build a supertall timber skyscraper in Tokyo. Rising to an impressive 350 m (1,148 ft)-tall, the tower would be a real feat of wooden construction.

Last year we heard about the Draisine 200.0, a one-off wooden electric balance bike for adults. Well, if you wished that you could buy something like it, now is your chance. The Big Buddy Bike has a tempered wooden frame, it's adult-sized, and it's an electric balance bike – of a sort.

When Christoph Frandorfer was a student, he developed knee problems from riding a bicycle that didn't fit. Unfortunately, he couldn't afford to get a bike custom-made for his measurements. That's where he first got the idea for My Esel, billed as "the world's first mass-produced custom bike."

​We've seen a fair number of wooden bicycles recently, along with plenty of electric motorcycles. Well, now it's time to meet the Rocsie. It's a Spanish-built cafe racer-style electric motorbike, with a laminated bent-wood frame.

Although showing some signs of wear after eight decades of use, the wooden escalators of Sydney's Wynyard Station aren't done just yet. Repurposed as a twisting installation by local artist Chris Fox, the heritage timber structures now hang from the ceiling as spectacular heritage-inspired artwork.

DFA Studio recently unveiled a blue sky proposal for an observation tower in Central Park. If built, it would be the world's tallest timber structure. Interestingly, it would also filter the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir and turn it into a freshwater pond for everyone's use.

BrandNewNoise has added the Krankie to its small catalog of handcrafted audio recording devices. It's an old school music box mechanism sat atop a box made of sustainable wood that allows the user to create custom tunes and record the results.

​Bikes with wooden frames are often thought of as being fine and classy … not unlike single malt Scotch whiskies. With that in mind, Renovo Hardwood Bicycles has partnered with distillery Glenmorangie to create the Glenmorangie Original – a limited-edition bike made from reclaimed whisky casks.

For some people, there's nothing quite so exquisite as a classic wooden motorboat. Well, Minneapolis-based entrepreneur Kevin Fitzke has taken that aesthetic and applied it to the stand-up paddle board.

Although they're great for kids, or adults who want to slide down the driveway after a few eggnogs, true adrenaline junkies are likely to step straight past the sled and into a set of skis or a board. Aroc wants to change that with the performance carving Sports Sled.​

Two years ago, maker Ritsert Mans embarked on a nature-inspired motorbike building adventure that would result in a wood-framed beach racer fueled by microalgae oil supplied by Peter Mooij. A work in progress, much of the bike is fashioned from wood – including the frame, handlebars and swingarms.

Kengo Kuma's firm has unveiled an interesting design for an art museum in Turkey that's based on interlocking wooden boxes. Though it's still just a concept at present, we hope the Odunpazari Modern Art Museum does indeed go ahead, as it has the potential to become something special.