Skyscrapers Made of Wood Are Making a Comeback
- Lumber use cost competitive, quicker and less labor intensive
- Developer sees premium rent on 10-story building made of wood
Site plan for the Sidewalk Labs community.
Source: Sidewalk Labs
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More than a century after steel and concrete became the standard for building high-rise buildings, the humble tree is making a comeback.
Sidewalk Labs LLC, a unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc., is planning to use timber to construct all of its buildings for a mixed-use community along Toronto’s eastern waterfront. Meanwhile, Oregon became the first U.S. state to amended its building code to permit taller buildings made from timber.