14 DAY TRIAL // Danish design firm C.F. Møller has recently unveiled plans for the construction of a state-of-the-art solar-powered wooden skyscraper in Stockholm.
During the past few years, architects have taken an interest in the possibility of using timber to build not just relatively small structures, but also big ones.
What sparked their interest into this matter is the fact that, apart from being able to withstand heavy loads, wood is a renewable material.
The skyscraper that C.F. Møller would see built in Stockholm would not be entirely made of wood. On the contrary, Inhabitat informs us that a concrete core would stand at the center of the building.
However, the skyscraper's pillars, beams, interior walls, ceiling and window frames would all be made of wood, the same source details.
The architects believe that people living in their skyscraper would likely feel as if they were living inside a cabin up in the mountains.
More so given the fact that the building would feature rooftop garden terraces.
While some might argue that a building made almost entirely out of wood risks igniting and burning down in a matter of hours, engineers reassure that, as surprising as this might sound, wood is a very safe option as far as building materials go.
“Wood is also more fire resistant than both steel and concrete. This is due to 15% of wood mass being water, which will evaporate before the wood actually burns. In addition, logs get charred which protects the core,” they reportedly explained.
Granted, the fact that wood is more fire resistant than steel and concrete are is debatable, but here's hoping the engineers are right.
As shown in the picture next to this article, the wooden skyscraper's roof would be shaped like a diamond.
The spaces created in this manner would serve to accommodate the solar panels responsible for harvesting sun power.