A giant skyscraper made of wood, dubbed The Toothpick, could dramatically change the London skyline. It certainly would stand out in a horizon dominated by tall towers made of steel, glass and concrete.
The conceptual design submitted to London Mayor Boris Johnson would house 1,000 residential units in an 80-storey, 300-meter high wooden structure incorporated within the Barbican, an urban residential complex.
The toothpick-like skyscraper is a tall construction order, but researchers at Cambridge University, PLP architects and Smith and Wallwork engineers have joined hands to design the project, with wood as its centerpiece. The designers disclosed that wood could revolutionize 21st century construction in the same way that steel, glass and concrete did in building the Crystal Palace and the Parisian arcades back in the 19th and 20th centuries.
"Timber is our only renewable construction material and in its modern engineered form it can work alongside steel and concrete to extend and regenerate our cities. It is only a matter of time until the first timber skyscraper is built." said Simon Smith, co-founder of Smith and Wallwork.
The Cambridge researchers point to the potential benefits of wood. Aside from being renewable, wood helps reduce costs, improve construction timeframe and significantly decrease the overall weight of a building. Because of these benefits, the researchers reported that the use of wood as a material in building construction is an area of renewed interest.
The team also claims that the Toothpick's sky-high homes would create a more enjoyable, relaxed, sociable and aesthetic urban experience for their residents. People have greater affinity to natural materials, but wood is vastly underused in modern construction.
Wooden buildings are vulnerable to fire hazards, but the team assures the public that the proposed structure would meet the requirements of existing regulations.
"We've designed the architecture and engineering and demonstrated it will stand, but this is at a scale no one has attempted to build before," said Michael Ramage, director of Cambridge's Centre for Natural Material Innovation.
Currently, the tallest wooden building in the world is a 14-storey apartment complex in Bergen, Norway. This record could be wiped out if the Toothpick rises and while it would not be able to beat the Shard, it could come as a close second.
