Sweden wants to build an entire city from wood
Modern timber buildings can be cheap, green and fireproof
There is a global race to build the tallest wooden skyscraper. The record was held by Mjostarnet, an 85-metre tower on the shore of Lake Mjosa in Norway, which hosts flats, a hotel and a swimming pool—until Ascent, an 87-metre structure, was completed in Wisconsin in July 2022. And it will be put in the shade in turn by other buildings: a 90 metre tower is planned for Ontario, and a 100 metre one for Switzerland. (By way of comparison, St Paul’s cathedral in London is 110 metres tall.)
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This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Growing timber town”
From the June 24th 2023 edition
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