Wood in construction: efficiency and saving

Although concrete and steel are the most commonly used building materials, a structure made of wood  and 53 m tall is being constructed,  and is attracting the interest of most engineers. It is located in Vancouver and scheduled to house more than 400 students of University of British Columbia. Construction began in November 2015 and will be completed until 2017!

 The 18-story building will be the tallest wooden building in the world and was designed by Acton Ostry Architects and Paul Fast.  Specifically, it consists of a story concrete podium, two concrete cores and 17 stories of timber. Also, it affords a metal deck roof, a steel beam and other prefabricated elements.

The $51.5 million project is indeed innovative as wood is not commonly used for tall structures. However, wood as a building material has lots of pros such as its earthquake resistant properties. It doesn't cost much and demands small amounts of energy. Consequently, wood is environmentally friendly and contributes to heat insulation and sound proofing of a structure.  Considering the efficiency and the design flexibility of the wood, we may see increased usage by engineers worldwide.