![The history of building with wood [infographic]](/sites/default/files/Richmond_Olympic_Oval_intern_View.jpg "The history of building with wood [infographic]")
Even as other building materials emerge, from classics like steel, masonry and concrete to the recycled materials repurposed in large-scale 3D printing, wood is still here.
Advances in engineering, like cross-laminated timber (CLT), is making large wooden skyscrapers possible. A timber office tower is coming to London, a wooden residential complex is being built in Montreal, and Stockholm is planning a 40-story CLT skyscraper. An architect even designed an entire wood multifamily building district in Sweden.
Wood, particularly CLT, remains king for builders. Compared to steel and concrete, it's "cheaper, easier to assemble, and more fire resistant, thanks to the way wood chars," writes Clay Risen of Popular Science. "It’s also more sustainable. Wood is renewable like any crop, and it’s a carbon sink, sequestering the carbon dioxide it absorbed during growth even after it’s been turned into lumber."
The material has been around forever — the first timber home literally dates back to the Stone Age. Log Cabin Hub, a site dedicated to the planning, building, and living in log cabin homes, produced an infographic called Living with Wood: From the Beginning of Time, that chronicles the history of wood building.
(Click to enlarge)
Related Stories
| Mar 19, 2014
Green Building Initiative Invited to White House Rural Council Event to Support Growth of Green Building, Jobs, and Rural Communities
Green Building Initiative (GBI) Vice President for National Affairs Erin Schaffer is participated in an event at the U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters on Tuesday, March 18th, designed to highlight the Obama Administration’s commitment to promoting building construction projects that use green materials, while also supporting jobs in rural communities.
| Sep 9, 2013
BUILDINGChicago eShow Daily – Day 1 coverage
The first annual BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland conference and expo kicked off this morning at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza. The BD+C editorial team is here en masse to bring you this real-time report from the show. Here’s is our recap of the education sessions from Day 1.
| Jun 19, 2013
Florida is latest battleground over LEED standards centered on certified wood
A nationwide battle over forest certification standards continues to be played out nationally and in Florida with legislation passed this month.
| Jun 4, 2013
SOM research project examines viability of timber-framed skyscraper
In a report released today, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill discussed the results of the Timber Tower Research Project: an examination of whether a viable 400-ft, 42-story building could be created with timber framing. The structural type could reduce the carbon footprint of tall buildings by up to 75%.
| Apr 30, 2013
First look: North America's tallest wooden building
The Wood Innovation Design Center (WIDC), Prince George, British Columbia, will exhibit wood as a sustainable building material widely availablearound the globe, and aims to improve the local lumber economy while standing as a testament to new construction possibilities.
| Apr 24, 2013
North Carolina bill would ban green rating systems that put state lumber industry at disadvantage
North Carolina lawmakers have introduced state legislation that would restrict the use of national green building rating programs, including LEED, on public projects.
| Feb 28, 2013
Lend Lease builds world's tallest timber apartment building
Construction giant Lend Lease recently put the finishing touches on Forté, a 10-story apartment complex in Melbourne, Australia's Victoria Harbour that was built entirely with cross laminated timber (CTL) technology.
| Feb 26, 2013
Southern Pine Inspection Bureau publishes new design values effective June 1
New design values for all sizes and grades of visually graded Southern Pine dimension lumber were published in the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau’s (SPIB) Supplement No.13 to the 2002 Standard Grading Rules for Southern Pine Lumber on Feb. 11.
| Feb 26, 2013
ANSI standard for interior doors open for second public ballot
WDMA I.S.6A-11, Industry Standard for Interior Architectural Wood Stile and Rail Doors and WDMA I.S.1A-11, Industry Standard for Interior Architectural Wood Flush Doors, are now open for their second ballot for recognition as American National Standards.
| Feb 22, 2013
Starbucks pilot program rolls out small, modular stores
Coffee giant Starbucks is rolling out mini-stores with maximum local flavor, as part of an international pilot program.
