Wooden High Structure: Oakwood Timber Tower

The population of London, one of the most popular capitals of the world, has exceeded 8 million. Londoners are keen to preserve its historic fabric, but trying to fit the growing population into the city has become a major problem over time. As a city constantly receiving immigration from across the country and around the world, London needs to build more buildings to meet the demand for housing from a growing population. Since the materials used in the construction of these buildings have an impact on the future of both the city and the Earth, there has been an increase in efforts to create wooden structures.

All over the world, the deterioration of the silhouettes of cities with a historical past due to high-rise buildings and the shadowing of their textures from the past to the present in the grayness of concrete and steel are among the areas where experts working on urbanization focus on aesthetic concerns and the protection of historical textures.

This is why wooden structures built using wood are becoming increasingly popular. Moreover, one of the biggest benefits of this approach, which is not limited to its contribution to aesthetics and preservation of the historical structure, is that it is a renewable resource with more affordable costs. Moreover, it provides a significant reduction in the overall weight of the buildings.

Oakwood Timber Tower, planned to be integrated into the Barbican Performing Arts Center, will be a mixed-use tower and mid-height row houses on a 1 million square meter site.

The wood used for these buildings is called "crop". Today, the tallest wooden building in the world is "Treet", a 14-story apartment building in Bergen, Norway. The concepts for the Barbican include a 300-meter high wooden tower. If realized, the tower will be the tallest building in London after The Shard.

Recent research shows that wooden structures can have a positive impact on the health of homeowners. Some studies also show that children in schools with wooden buildings perform better than those in concrete buildings.

The design for the Barbican will be the first in a series of tree skyscrapers planned to be funded by the UK's Engineering and Natural Sciences Research Council. The idea of meeting the growing demand for housing without increasing carbon emissions is seen as a problem that can be solved by using wood in building construction. The use of natural materials in construction is becoming a reason for preference, attracting the interest of today's people who now live with one eye on nature. So the key to building the future may lie in the heart of an old friend that has been used for thousands of years.

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