Mjøstårnet: The World's Tallest Wooden Skyscraper and the Future of Timber Cities
In early autumn, a journalist explored Mjøstårnet, located in Brumunddal, Norway, which stands as the tallest all-timber structure at 18 stories and 277 feet (84 meters). This remarkable building, designed by Voll Arkitekter and brought to life by Arthur Buchardt, features offices, apartments, and a hotel with 72 rooms. Buchardt first envisioned the project in 2015, shortly after the Paris climate agreement, sketching his ideas on a napkin. Utilizing mass timber sourced from over 16,000 local spruce and pine trees, the construction resembled a flat-pack skyscraper and cost approximately £100 million, which is £10-15 million more than traditional concrete. The article also discusses the environmental effects of concrete and the carbon capture benefits of wood. Future developments include Stockholm Wood City and a 350-meter skyscraper in Tokyo by Sumitomo Forestry, anticipated around 2041.
Key facts
- Mjøstårnet is the world's tallest all-timber building, at 18 storeys and 277 feet (84m) high.
- The tower is located in Brumunddal, Norway, on the shore of Lake Mjøsa.
- It was developed by Arthur Buchardt and designed by Voll Arkitekter.
- The building uses mass timber (glulam) sourced from local forests, with over 16,000 trees harvested.
- Construction used a flat-pack method, with components assembled at a rate of nearly one floor per week.
- The project cost around £100m, £10-15m more than a concrete equivalent.
- Concrete manufacturing accounts for 7-8% of global emissions.
- Future projects include Stockholm Wood City, the Rocket tower in Winterthur, and Sumitomo Forestry's 350-meter wooden skyscraper in Tokyo.
- Buchardt plans to build an even taller all-wood building in Sweden.
- The building is insured by Norway's largest insurance company, which also occupies two office floors.
Entities
Artists
- Arthur Buchardt
- Rune Abrahamsen
Institutions
- Voll Arkitekter
- Moelven
- Atrium Ljungberg
- Sumitomo Forestry
- White Arkitekter
Locations
- Oslo
- Norway
- Brumunddal
- Lake Mjøsa
- Trondheim
- Sweden
- Stockholm
- Winterthur
- Switzerland
- Perth
- Australia
- Tokyo
- Japan
- Helsinki
- Finland