Image courtesy of Metsä Wood
Metsä Wood?s next Plan B initiative to explore possibilities of wood in solving the problems of urbanization.
Cities all over the world are in dire need of new ways to house a rapidly growing urban population. The City Above the City international wood design competition invites architects and students from all over the world to solve the challenges of urbanization in both sustainable and humane ways.
The world?s increasing urbanization is one of the most significant issues facing humanity today. By 2050, 2/3 of the world?s population will live in cities. Consequently, urban growth is fast outpacing the ability to build affordable and sustainable living space.
?We need to start building up and stop tearing down. We have an alternative. A building extension constructed with a timber frame can be a fast, sustainable and inexpensive solution,” says Michael Green of Vancouver-based Michael Green Architects. Research shows that approximately 1/4th of existing buildings are strong enough to carry additional floors made of wood. Moreover, it is the only material light enough to build quickly on to existing structures. This makes wood a highly promising building material for providing living space for billions of people ? while also preserving the architectural heritage of our cities.
The City Above the City competition is a continuation of Metsä Wood?s project Plan B, started in 2015 as an ambitious project to explore the possibilities of usin...