Tall Timber Buildings: Emerging trends and typologies

The last decade has seen the global proliferation of engineered timber technology in the construction of multi-storey buildings. Due to the relative infancy of mass timber building techniques (particularly in the construction of tall buildings) the trajectory of this new and evolving architectural typology has not been widely studied. Recently, several market reviews have investigated the advantages, disadvantages and best practice for mass timber as a structural material and construction strategy. However, existing literature lacks an overview of the wider market context with particular emphasis on the architectural qualities and ramifications of the emerging tall wood building typology. This paper aims to provide a qualitative analysis of this market context to identify trends within mass timber construction. The study is particularly concerned with the potential for architectural variety (spatial and aesthetic) afforded by tall timber structural techniques, envelope systems, and fabrication methods. The research presented in this paper is the first step towards defining the prevailing architectural strategies within this mode of building that might help to understand how tall timber architecture is evolving.