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Tokyo To Build 350m Tower Made of Wood (theguardian.com)
A skyscraper set to be built in Tokyo will become the world's tallest to be made of wood. From a report: The Japanese wood products company Sumitomo Forestry Co is proposing to build a 350 metre (1,148ft), 70-floor tower to commemorate its 350th anniversary in 2041. Japan's government has long advertised the advantages of wooden buildings, and in 2010 passed a law requiring it be used for all public buildings of three stories or fewer. Sumitomo Forestry said the new building, known as the W350 Project, was an example of "urban development that is kind for humans," with more high-rise architecture made of wood and covered with greenery "making over cities as forests." The new building will be predominantly wooden, with just 10% steel. Its internal framework of columns, beams and braces -- made of a hybrid of the two materials -- will take account of Japan's high rate of seismic activity. The Tokyo-based architecture firm Nikken Sekkei contributed to the design.
Wood certainly has it's uses, but it seems to me that a high rise is not one of them. Wood needs to be protected from the sun and elements. Who wants to have to paint or weather proof this thing every couple of years? I lived in a house with wood siding as a kid. I hated having to go out to scrape the old paint off and repainting it. I know paint and weather proofing has come a long way since I was a kid, but it's still going to need this done periodically.
This is why aluminum siding and later vinyl siding became a thing. It also sounds like they plan to have plants draped all over it. That will rot most wood even faster. Do they have carpenter or wood bees in Japan? If so, those little bastards will bore holes in damn near any wood they can find.
In the short-term maybe. In the long-term? Progressively worse for humans.
Not only is this removing useful nutrients from the ground to be locked away in a building for many decades, it is a MASSIVE fire risk.
Concrete, steel and even glass CAN have plants living in and around them you know. It isn't a hard thing to do.
Not only that, being inorganic, it is more environmentally friendly since it is, you know, inorganic!
The toxicity levels of most construction materials have dropped dramatically in recent decades, especially the past 15 years. It's almost a non-issue now.
The whole "but the production of the materials" argument can be defeated with renewables.
Trees have environmental costs too, you know, as does harvesting and making them useful for building. (arguably more so for building when it comes to treatments in some situations!)
Just use some fucking rocks. Stop wasting useful and more limited organic material for construction, for fuel and any other nonsense when inorganic is better and much safer!
Christ, I'd rather see powdered metals be used for fuels than continued use of hydrocarbons.
Environmental nutjobs are going to ruin the world with these short-sighted ideas. And probably kill a bunch of people on the way!
How's that coal power holding you over, Japan? Good job killing off Nuclear, YA IDIOTS!