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ia Cenni in Mllan, four wood-construction V high-rises, each nine storeys high architects: Rossi Prodi, under construction 5, 6 3XGrün, multi-storey apartment building in Berlin 2011, architects: ArGe Atelier PK, roedig schop Architekten, Rozynski-Sturm Architekten study »fertighauscity5+«/ IfuH/IIKE Braunschweig 7 Loft conversion in Vienna 2012 architects: PPAG architects 8 Multi-storey apartment building in Berlin 2013 architects: Kaden Klingbeil
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erection of Germany’s first seven-storey wood-construction building. Since then the architects have realised further multi-storey wood-construction apartment buildings in Berlin. These ventures have demonstrated that in Germany, seven-storey, 22-metrehigh buildings employing wood construction are structurally sound and can fulfil fire requirements. These structures – whether in urban settings or elsewhere – need not trigger associations with the good old days. In addition, wood structures are only centimetres away from reaching the “high-rise” category. A number of other projects show that multi-storey wood construction is booming: under the aegis of a residential real estate firm, an eight storey residential tower has been erected in the German town Bad Aibling. A team of experts from all of the disciplines involved in sustainable building (architecture, carpentry, building physics, and civil engineering) have developed a striking hybrid construction system for high-rises of up to 30 storeys. The City of Vienna has been looking into wood construction in the urban environment for quite some time. Seven-storey structures have been realised here recently, as well – and soon even taller buildings will follow. A number of ever-taller projects employing wood construction are edging closer to Vienna’s centre. Italy – a country that had until recently shown only limited enthusiasm for this construction method – is now setting new standards in urban applications of it. On the east side of Milan a housing estate – made up of four nine-storey towers and twostorey buildings that connect them (Rossi Prodi Associati) – employing cross-laminated timber is under construction. The Norwegian city Bergen is also in a wood-construction frenzy: construction of the “Trehus” – likely the world’s first fourteen-storey wood structure – by Artec Arkitekter began last year. The Wood Innovation Design Centre Vancouver has commissioned Ceil Architecture to study the feasibility of a 40-storey tower in wood, and SOM is conducting the “Timber Tower Research Project. Re-imagin8 ing the Skyscraper.”
Potential in refurbishment Aside from construction of new buildings, residential districts, and structures filling in gaps in urban fabric, one should not overlook the fact that the greatest potential lies in the refurbishment of existing buildings. Conversions, additional storeys, and measures intended to increase density have, in the meantime, become omnipresent tasks. In Germany, more than half of all investments in construction are presently in existing buildings – and the tendency is increasing. When these commissions are approached with an appreciation for that which is already there, the result will be a form of sustainable practice. The trend to-
ward clever use of resources must lead us to reconsider how we practice urban planning and architecture. It points away from market-oriented, short-term profitability, and toward an appreciation of permanence. But that does not mean that existing buildings are sacrosanct. What is needed are strategies to renovate them and to introduce new structures next to and on top of them. Retrofitting, converting and transforming are currently essential aspects of the design process. Wood construction is often the only option when it comes to adding storeys or discreet volumes to unused flat roofs, because the existing structure cannot withstand greater