Wooden skyscrapers get a boost in Berlin

We've written about wooden skyscrapers before, and now the trend is growing. Costing 90 million euros ($109 million) to build, the timber tower will be constructed from the engineered wood known as cross-laminated timber, which allows builders to erect tall towers that use far less steel and concrete than traditional skyscrapers. Called WoHo and designed by Norway’s Mad Arkitekter, the 29-story building promises to be Europe’s highest wooden building to date, using reinforced concrete solely for its core and basement. While the project’s eco-friendly engineering is attracting attention, the complex has other qualities that may be even more interesting. That’s because the tower, and the connected lower-rise buildings that will surround it, aspire to be an emphatically community-focused, affordable development. UTB chief Thomas Bestgen has called it the “Anti-Amazon Tower,” referring to the controversial commercial office building that the online retail giant is erecting in eastern Berlin.