A huge wooden skyscraper is being built in Switzerland It bears the name of Rocket&Tigeli and will be a 100-meter building built with reinforced wood.
By Eduardo Scheffler Zawadzki Edited by Eduardo Scheffler Zawadzki
This article was translated from our Spanish edition.
It is 2022 and when we think of skyscrapers, images of imposing buildings built with rock and metal come to mind. Works like the impressive Burj Khalifa with its 828 meters high in Dubai. But in the small town of Winterthur, Switzerland, another type of great building is being built: it is a wooden skyscraper that aims to become the tallest of its kind in the entire world.
The so-called Rocket&Tigeli will be more than 100 meters tall and will tower over the Mjøstårnet tower in Brumunddal, Norway, by 14.6 meters. The building will be constructed by the Danish architectural firm, Schmidt Hammer Lassen , using reinforced timber. Wood is cheaper than concrete and has less impact on the environment , since more trees can always be planted to reforest.
The official website of the project explains: "In the next four years, the tallest residential building in the world with a load-bearing wooden structure will rise on the hills of the Swiss city of Winterthur, near Zurich. The 100-metre-high tower, Rocket&Tigerli, is designed to create a framework for an active and attractive neighborhood, deeply rooted in the historical context of the area, offering high-quality, modern housing with maximum natural light."
The central structure of the building will be entirely of reinforced wood, which is not particularly flammable. For the finishes, red and yellow terracotta bricks will be used so that the structure harmonizes with the architecture that already exists in the place. Rocket&Tigerli will not only be the 100 meter central tower, but also four smaller buildings and a square. The name of the building refers to the locomotives that were once built there.
The construction firm explains: "The project marks a milestone in the construction of wooden buildings, not only because of its 100 meters, which set the record for residential buildings with a load-bearing wooden construction, but also because it introduces an innovative construction system that examines wood as a natural element. replacement of concrete.
The building will be completed in 2026.
