Wood buildings

I've posted previously (here and here) about ever-larger buildings being made of wood. Seeing how our little cabin is literally made of nothing but glue-laminated wood and a bucket of screws, I've become quite interested in wood construction.

It appears the 'big guys' are getting interested, too. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is a world-renowned firm who have built the Sears Tower and the Burj Khalifa, among many, many other projects. (Frank Lloyd Wright called them the "three blind Mies" which is probably the best architecture joke ever.)

SOM have turned their hand to the idea of wood in skyscraper construction, and lo and behold, they see quite a bit of promise in the idea. The New York Times reports that SOM have determined tall wooden buildings to be feasible from an engineering standpoint, and more sustainable than concrete-and-steel, to boot.

I have no plans to build a multistory stuga, even if Värmdö kommun would allow it. But the idea of using wood, especially wood from sustainable forests, to build tall, is fascinating, and likely becoming more common in the future.