How high can you stack a tower in Kapla, this game of construction where the bricks are of laths of wood ? The japanese group Sumitomo Forestry Co., him, shows his intention to erect in Tokyo a wooden skyscraper of 350 meters in height. The company specializes in lumber and real estate development, a branch of the centuries-old and sprawling industrial conglomerate nippon Sumitomo, wants to celebrate its three hundred and fifty years of existence in… 2041. And help to ” turn cities into forests.”
In the drawings, unveiled in February, the tower of 70 floors and has a square plan and a skeleton exposed posts and beams, of wood and very similar to a construction game. For accreditation, large balconies planted with greenery and open on all fronts. Baptized W350, the building of 455 000 m2 should accommodate housing, offices, shops and a hotel. Made of 90% wood – for a total of 185 000 m3, the tower will still be 10 % of steel elements, in particular to ensure the resistance of the structure to earthquakes and typhoons, a wise precaution in Japan.
A quote to an estimated 4.6 billion euros
Why build in timber ? To combat global warming – the skyscraper will set the equivalent of 100 000 tonnes of CO2, according to the company. To support the wood industry in japan, especially, and the vast forests are in bad shape. “While large quantities of cedar and cypress trees planted after the second world war are ready to be cut, they are left abandoned,” says the company in its presentation.
Provide an outlet for the wood-nippon has a cost. Quote the view of the skyscrapers in the wood at this stage : € 4.6 billion. “Almost double that of a high-rise building conventional built with the current technology,” recognizes the company, which wants to believe that…
