Wooden skyscraper? This 34-story wood-framed tower could be added to the Stockholm skyline

Updated Jun 28, 2013
C.F. Moller’s design for a 34-story wooden residential towerC.F. Moller’s design for a 34-story wooden residential tower

A design competition for a new residential tower at the center of Stockholm, Sweden has elicited quite the interesting proposal: a skyscraper made of wood.

According to a report from Wired, Scandinavian architecture firm C.F. Møller partnered with architect Dinell Johansson and urban consultant TyrĂ©ns and designed a 34-story timber-framed tower that, if chosen, would likely be the tallest wooden tower in the world.

Of course, it’s not all wood. A concrete core will stabilize the building and the lower floors will be supported by very thin steel pillars. If the building is chosen, it should be completed by 2023.

This idea of wooden skyscrapers is being thrown around quite a bit these days. Designers are fond of the idea because “the building industry, with its use of steel and concrete, accounts for approximately 30-40 percent of all CO2 emissions,” Wired reports. Using wood not only decreases CO2 emissions, but also reduces the amount of construction waste.

Of course, wood is still more expensive than both concrete and steel. So don’t expect these wooden towers to start outnumbering concrete in steel anytime soon.

However, MĂĄrten Leringe, managing director of Berg | C.F. Møller told Wired â€śWith the recognition of the advantages in terms of sustainability and environmental issues, we believe we’ll witness a large boom in the use of the material in the coming years that also will lead to a cheaper price on the products.”