Mass Timber Revolution: Are Wooden Skyscrapers the Future?
By James Morton
For centuries, timber was synonymous with low-rise homes and historic barns, not the glittering skylines of modern cities. Yet as the urgency of climate change grows, engineered timber is making a spectacular comeback—not just as a quaint nod to the past, but as a bold solution for the future of high-rise urban construction. Around the world, wooden towers are rising, challenging steel and concrete in both ambition and environmental performance.
The New Face of Timber: Storing Carbon, Shaping Skylines
What’s changed? The secret lies in new forms of “mass timber”—high-tech materials like cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glulam, created by bonding together layers of wood at perpendicular angles for remarkable strength and stability. These materials aren’t just strong; they also store carbon dioxide absorbed by the trees as they grew, locking it safely within the building’s frame. As a result, each timber tower is a living carbon vault, drastically reducing embodied emissions compared to concrete and steel.
From Mjøstårnet to Milwaukee: Timber Towers Go Global
Some of the most striking examples have grabbed headlines—and inspired a new generation of architects and developers. In Norway, the 18-storey, 85.4-metre Mjøstårnet tower held the record for the world’s tallest timber building upon completion in 2019 (Mjøstårnet – Wikipedia). Built beside Lake Mjøsa, using locally sourced timber from forests less than 100km away, the project was more than a technical feat; it was a national statement on sustainability, beauty, and the power of local supply chains.
In Milwaukee, Ascent Tower has since overtaken the Norwegian record, soaring to 86.6 metres. Tokyo is joining the revolution, with ambitious plans for timber high-rises that blend ancient joinery with modern design and seismic safety. London, Vancouver, Sydney, and Vienna all have major timber towers underway or in development, each one pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
Why the Excitement? Timber’s Unique Sustainability Credentials
Timber’s green credentials are at the heart of this surge. Unlike concrete and steel—which are highly energy- and emissions-intensive—mass timber is made from a renewable resource, and its manufacturing process is less carbon-heavy. According to industry analyses, replacing a single cubic metre of concrete with timber can save up to a tonne of CO₂. And while sustainable forestry is essential, managed woodlands can actually accelerate the drawdown of atmospheric carbon, further tipping the balance in timber’s favour.
The construction process is often quieter and faster too. Timber elements can be prefabricated offsite, delivered just-in-time, and assembled with minimal disruption—a major advantage in tight urban settings.
Safety, Supply, and the Challenge of Scaling Up
Yet despite the clear benefits, the timber revolution is not without its challenges. Fire safety remains the most hotly debated topic. While mass timber chars on the outside (creating a protective barrier that can actually preserve structural integrity in a blaze), changing old perceptions and updating building codes takes time. The growing body of fire tests and completed projects is steadily convincing regulators, but each new skyscraper is still, in some ways, a pathfinder.
Structural engineers have had to answer big questions too. Timber is strong, but it behaves differently from steel and concrete—expanding, contracting, and responding to humidity in ways that require careful detailing and innovation. Hybrid structures, combining timber with steel or concrete for cores and foundations, are becoming common, balancing performance and fire resistance with the aesthetic and environmental benefits of wood.
Supply chain sustainability is another concern. The surge in timber demand must be met with robust certification, responsible forest management, and global supply chains that don’t drive deforestation elsewhere. Fortunately, many of the world’s leading timber projects have made a point of sourcing from certified, regional forests—ensuring that each new tower is a testament to both innovation and stewardship.
Investors and Cities Take Notice
What about the money? Far from being a hard sell, timber towers are attracting growing interest from investors. Tenants love the warmth, beauty, and biophilic benefits of exposed wood. Developers and pension funds see a chance to differentiate, achieve green finance incentives, and future-proof assets in a world where low-carbon credentials are moving from bonus to baseline.
Cities, for their part, are waking up to the wider benefits—lower site disruption, improved air quality, and the potential to weave new architecture into old urban fabrics with a lighter touch.
Could “Plyscrapers” Become Mainstream?
The answer now seems less a question of “if” than “when”—and “where”. As building codes modernise, supply chains mature, and success stories mount, mass timber high-rises are poised to become a staple of sustainable urban development. The mass timber revolution is not just about lower carbon; it’s about reimagining what our cities can look like and how they can function for people and planet alike.
A century ago, concrete and steel redefined the urban skyline. Today, it might just be timber—renewable, beautiful, and resilient—that shapes the next generation of skyscrapers.
References:
Wikipedia. (2023). Mjøstårnet
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. (2024). Tall Timber: Trends and Innovations.
UK Green Building Council. (2024). Mass Timber in the Built Environment.
American Wood Council. (2024). Mass Timber Construction: Fire and Structural Safety.
Dezeen. (2023). The World’s Most Ambitious Timber Towers.