The World’s Tallest Wooden Skyscraper Is Coming to Tokyo
The world’s tallest wooden skyscraper is preparing for construction in Tokyo.
The 1,148-foot building in central Tokyo will become the world’s tallest wooden structure upon completion, expected in 2041.
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The tower — which will be known as W350 — will smash records for the world’s tallest wooden building tenfold. The current record holder is Brock Commons, a 174-foot building at the University of British Colombia, Vancouver.
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The building has been commissioned by Sumitomo Forestry, a Japanese company that specializes in wood products, to commemorate its 350th anniversary in 2041. W350 has an estimated price tag of $5.6 billion. It will have 70 stories and be composed of 90 percent wooden materials. Wood will wrap around a steel vibration-control framework, designed to withstand the city’s earthquakes.
Inside, visitors to the building will be surrounded by light wood and balconies filled with greenery. Sumitomo is hoping to transform cities into “forests through increased use of wooden architecture for high-rise buildings,” according to a statement.
Meanwhile, Chicago is considering building an 80-story wooden skyscraper of its own — possibly within the next 10 years.
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However tall the wooden skyscraper will be, it will still be dwarfed by the world’s tallest buildings made from more traditional materials like steel. The world’s tallest building is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which reaches 2,717 feet. It has been the tallest building in the world for the past 10 years.
In 2020, the Jeddah Tower (currently under construction in Saudi Arabia) is expected to become the tallest building in the world. The structure will have 167 stories and tower 3,307 feet upon completion.
