Atlassian plans to build the world’s tallest hybrid timber tower for its new headquarters in Sydney’s planned ‘Tech Central’ precinct development. The 40-storey hybrid timber structure is designed to inspire a new generation of climate-conscious buildings and significantly lower it’s carbon footprint. “Cross-laminated timber is an incredibly green material and it helps us avoid massive amounts of concrete and steel,” …
HoHo Wien, Vienna
With one of the highest skyscraper called HoHo, Vienna has it´s first high-rise building made out of wood. The HoHo Vienna is a showcase project for hybrid construction. The HASSLACHER group provided approximately 400 m³ glued laminated timber and 14,400 m² cross laminated timber for the overall project in Vienna/Austria. The glued laminated timber beams are made as so-called composite …
Meeting under chevron hoods
Jeremy Smith contemplates the intricate origami planes of Studio Pacific Architecture’s Nelson Airport Terminal and ascends to the Cab of its playfully splayed trapezoid Control Tower. The thing about being surrounded by National Parks is that you become quite hard to get to. We Nelsonians can’t go anywhere quickly by road. Rail is long gone and boats seem to be …
Let the experts decide the best building material for the job
While the post Covid-19 economy will require timely and bold Government intervention, demanding timber be considered over other construction materials could compromise the resilience and safety of our homes, places of work and infrastructure. While well-intentioned, a potential ‘wood-first’ policy dictating that all new government buildings up to 10 storeys consider a timber option, and that government give preference to …
Timber Tonic: How Wood and Natural Materials Can Transform Healthcare Facility Design
More and more, science is confirming common sense and the emerging concept of biophilia: that being exposed to nature—and natural, organic materials—not only calms our mind, it can contribute to a sense of health and well-being. There is no better place to apply this than healthcare architecture and design. BOLD BIOPHILIC DESIGN | Designers are increasingly seeing the biophilic benefits …
The Material Revolutionizing the Construction Industry? Wood
Architects and engineers are working on ways to swap steel and glass for strong, sustainable wood-based materials. When the empire state building was completed in 1931, the 102-story skyscraper ranked as the tallest in the world, a beacon of American progress as well as a lightning rod for Midtown Manhattan. And the material that made it possible was steel — …
California Promotes Architectural Innovation Through Mass Timber Competition
In California, the Governor’s Forest Management Task Force and the Office of Planning and Research announced the winners of their first-ever competition designed to highlight a category of engineered wood products known as mass timber. As the need for forest, wildfire, climate, and housing solutions grows, California is moving to expand the use of these innovative wood products, which have …
MADMA proposes to unite senezh management lab in Russia beneath undulating canopy
Rotterdam-based firm MADMA has revealed its proposal for the campus of a new management school in Russia. Located in Solnechnogorsk, a town on the outskirts of Moscow, the ‘senezh management lab’ responds to its lakeside setting by embracing the waterfront as well as its forested surroundings. The focal point of the project is defined by a sweeping and undulating roof …
Head of Legal & General modular homes factory reveals plans for its future
It’s all go for Legal & General’s modular homes factory as it plans to develop in Selby and aims to export. Legal & General’s Yorkshire-based, factory-built homes business was established in 2016 and it took more than two years and a small fortune for the first eight homes to roll off its production line. There was a £75m loss and …
Sidewalk Labs shuts down Toronto project
Sidewalk Labs is closing its project in Toronto, the company said in a brief statement in May. “For the last two-and-a-half years, we have been passionate about making Quayside happen — indeed, we have invested time, people, and resources in Toronto, including opening a 30-person office on the waterfront,” wrote Sidewalk Labs chief executive, Dan Doctoroff in a blog post. …
How construction can emerge stronger after coronavirus
COVID-19 has affected communities globally, with more than 2.5 million reported cases as of April 30—a number that is still rising. And while governments and companies globally are responding fast, much remains to be done. In this difficult time, construction matters more than ever. From building hospitals in just a few days to donating lifesaving equipment, the industry has played …
