The US city of Milwaukee is already home to the world’s tallest timber tower. But another, even taller, wooden skyscraper could be added to its skyline, designed by Vancouver-based studio Michael Green Architects (MGA).
The firm recently released plans for the development, which includes a 55-story tower made principally from mass timber — thick, compressed, multilayered panels of solid wood. If built, it would usurp the current world title holder, the 25-story Ascent tower by Korb + Associates Architects, as well as becoming the tallest building in the state of Wisconsin.
MGA, which specializes in wooden architecture, hopes that the project will set a “new global benchmark for mass timber construction.”
The project is part of the redevelopment of the Marcus Performing Arts Center, which opened in 1969 and won the Honor Award for Excellence in Architectural Design from the American Institute of Architects in 1970. Led by Neutral, which bills itself as a “regenerative development company,” the redesign will transform what is currently the center’s concrete parking lot into a space with residential units, offices, restaurants, cafes, grocery stores and public plazas. According to MGA, construction will cost an estimated $700 million. The plan is currently going through the city’s approval process, during which it is expected to evolve.
Why timber?
While the use of mass timber is steadily increasing worldwide, thanks to changes in building regulations and shifting attitudes towards the material, it has yet to match the sheer height of buildings made of concrete and steel — although a slew of timber high-rises have been proposed in recent years. MGA says its tower design would be approximately 600 feet (182 meters) tall — more than double the 284 feet (87 meter) tall Ascent tower.
“The race for height is important,” said Michael Green, an architect and founder of MGA. “It’s not about showing off, it’s about showing what’s possible to the public.”
He argued that the reason timber skyscrapers haven’t yet become mainstream is because climate change hasn’t been at the center of the conversation. “We didn’t really need to challenge the status quo of steel and concrete,” he said. “But because those materials are so hard on the climate, we had to find a different way to build towers and big buildings in general.”