Michael Green presents ‘The Case for Tall Wood Buildings’

By Sean Koetting

Driven by the desire to find safe, carbon-neutral and sustainable alternatives to the incumbent structural materials of the urban world, Michael Green, Principal at Michael Green Architecture, has shared with us this highly-anticipated feasibility study, The Case for Tall Wood Buildings. The 200-page document encourages architects, engineers and designers to push the envelope of conventional thinking by demonstrating that wood is a viable material for tall and large buildings and exposing its environmental and economic benefits.



Co-author Michael Green explains, “To slow and contain greenhouse gas emissions and find truly sustainable solutions to building, we must look at the fundamentals of the way we build – from the bones of large urban building structures to the details of energy performance. We need to search for the big picture solutions of today’s vast climate, environmental, economic and world housing needs.”

Mid-rise and tall buildings around the globe have been predominately constructed in concrete and steel, two materials that have served their purpose well. However, in the challenging age of Climate Change, it is imperative that we revolutionize our building industry, as the report reveals that “concrete production represents roughly 5% of world carbon dioxide emissions, the dominant green house gas. In essence the production and transportation of concrete represents more than five times the carbon footprint of the airline industry as a whole.”
The Case for Tall Wood Buildings introduces a new way of constructing tall buildings with a renewable, durable and strong building material that is manufactured by nature. When harvested responsibly, wood may be the best option for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and storing carbon in our buildings.
If you are interested in learning more about the project, Green has generously published the results of his research in an open source paper than can be reviewed in its entirety at the following web address

http://wecbc.smallboxcms.com/database/rte/files/Tall%20Wood.pdf

Thanks for reading,
Sean Koetting

Cite: Rosenfield , Karissa . "Michael Green presents ‘The Case for Tall Wood Buildings’" 27 Mar 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 28 Mar 2012.