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A company is set to build the world’s tallest wooden skyscraper in Tokyo.
Wood product developer Sumitomo Forestry announced its plans to build a new building in Tokyo by 2041 to celebrate its 350th anniversary. Called the W350 Project, the 350-meter structure is expected to be the world’s tallest wooden skyscraper upon completion. It will have 70 floors to house offices, apartments, and stores.
The construction will require around 185,000 cubic meters of wood; most of the material will be used for the 455,000-square meter inner floor space.
Although 90% of the structure will be wooden, 10% of it will still be made of steel. This is because architecture company Nikken Sekkei, which had a hand in the building’s design, also considered earthquake resistance during conceptualization. Sumitomo said that incorporating steel braces and beams will make the structure more durable and resistant to earthquake activity.
The total estimated initial cost for constructing the building is around ¥600 billion, which is nearly twice the cost of a traditional 350-meter skyscraper’s construction. However, Sumitomo said that developments in technology that may arise before the construction’s completion date might help lower the cost.
Wood has recently become a popular construction material. In fact, the design of the new stadium that is currently under construction for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics makes use of wood. The design is reportedly drawn from the wooden pagoda found at the historical Horyuji Temple.
Riccardo Tossani, the Italian-Australian architect behind the wooden retirement facility on Mount Fuji’s slopes, attests that wood is a good material because of its sustainability, pliability, and accessibility.