Japan to Build World’s Tallest Wooden Tower

• 26 February 2018
• Construction Focus
• 1496 Views

Japanese company Sumitomo Forestry Co., Ltd. recently announced their plan to build a 350-metre high wooden building in Tokyo, which is set to become the tallest wooden building in the world.

With an estimated cost of 600 billion yen (USD 5.6 billion), the tower is planned for completion in 2041 to mark the 350th anniversary of the Sumitomo Forestry Company.

The building will be 17 floors high, using a wood and steel hybrid structure of which 90 percent will be timber. It will use a braced tube structure in which steel frame vibration control braces (diagonal braces) are positioned inside a column and beam structure, made from a combination of wood and steel.

The outermost side is designed with balconies that continue around all four sides of the building. The greenery connects from the ground to the top floors through the balcony part, and it offers a view of biodiversity in an urban setting.

The interior structure is of pure wood, producing a calm space that exudes the warmth and gentleness of wood. Nikken Sekkei Ltd. collaborated in the design of this building.

After completing the construction, W350 will be served as stores, offices, hotels, and residences, under the concept of creating environmentally-friendly and timber-utilizing cities to “Change Cities into Forests.”

Regarding the inspiration behind this building, Sumitomo Forestry has explained that it is expanding possibilities for wooden buildings as a roadmap for future technology such as the development of building methods, environmentally-friendly technologies, and trees that become resources and building materials.