The world's tallest wooden skyscraper will soon stand in Vienna. According to the Guardian, architects from Rüdiger Lainer + Partner are working with developer Kerbler Holding GmbH on a 276-foot-tall building that will be made almost entirely (OK, precisely 76%) of wood.
The 25-story tower will cost $67 million to construct, and will include a hotel, apartments, a restaurant, wellness center, and offices. The project team expects to start construction next year.
The design team estimates that using wood will save 2,800 tons of CO2 emissions when compared with a similar concrete structure, the equivalent of driving a car 25 miles every day for 1,300 years, according to the Guardian.
But before the project can move out of the design stage, the Building Team most demonstrate to city officials that the wood tower will meet structural and fire/life safety performance requirements. The team is working with Vienna's fire service to test its design.
Related Stories
| Apr 23, 2014
Developers change gears at Atlantic Yards after high-rise modular proves difficult
At 32 stories, the B2 residential tower at Atlantic Yards has been widely lauded as a bellwether for modular construction. But only five floors have been completed in 18 months.
| Apr 9, 2014
5 important trends shaping today’s hotel construction market
AEC firms, developers, and investors worldwide are bullish on hotels. Our hospitality Giants share what’s new in this fast-morphing sector.
| Apr 9, 2014
Steel decks: 11 tips for their proper use | BD+C
Building Teams have been using steel decks with proven success for 75 years. Building Design+Construction consulted with technical experts from the Steel Deck Institute and the deck manufacturing industry for their advice on how best to use steel decking.
| Mar 25, 2014
World's tallest towers: Adrian Smith, Gordon Gill discuss designing Burj Khalifa, Kingdom Tower
The design duo discusses the founding of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architects and the design of the next world's tallest, Kingdom Tower, which will top the Burj Khalifa by as much as a kilometer.
| Mar 24, 2014
Frank Lloyd Wright's S.C. Johnson Research Tower to open to the public—32 years after closing
The 14-story tower, one of only two Wright-designed high-rises to be built, has been off limits to the public since its construction in 1950.
| Mar 21, 2014
Forget wood skyscrapers - Check out these stunning bamboo high-rise concepts [slideshow]
The Singapore Bamboo Skyscraper competition invited design teams to explore the possibilities of using bamboo as the dominant material in a high-rise project for the Singapore skyline.
| Mar 19, 2014
Federal agency gives thumbs up to tall wood buildings
USDA's support for wood projects includes training for AEC professionals and a wood high-rise design competition, to launch later this year.
| Mar 18, 2014
Koolhaas, OMA selected to design San Francisco high-rise residential tower
The project includes a 550-foot residential tower on one end of the block and two podium buildings and a row of townhouses filling the remainder of the property.
| Mar 17, 2014
Rem Koolhaas explains China's plans for its 'ghost cities'
China's goal, according to Koolhaas, is to de-incentivize migration into already overcrowded cities.
| Mar 13, 2014
Austria's tallest tower shimmers with striking 'folded façade' [slideshow]
The 58-story DC Tower 1 is the first of two high-rises designed by Dominique Perrault Architecture for Vienna's skyline.
