Over the past year, DIALOG have been designing a prototype for a supertall zero-carbon hybrid timber tower; we?re calling it the Beacon of Hope. At 105 stories, the Hybrid Timber Tower (HTT) would be the tallest building in Canada; it would also be one of the most sustainable.
The HTT features façade-integrated photovoltaics (PV) and a natural gas-fired district energy system combined with an innovative algae bioreactor to reduce operational carbon to zero. A patent-pending, prefabricated, composite Hybrid Timber Floor System (HTFS) combined with a diagrid steel structure and concrete core slashes embodied carbon almost in half compared with an all-steel-and-concrete system. The HTT would contain 14 times as much mass timber as the current world record-holding tall wood building. For a structure of this scale, we consider it a huge design achievement. We believe that we need big statements like this. DIALOG has joined many other Canadian architecture firms in signing the AIA?s 2030 Challenge pledge to make all our buildings carbon neutral by the end of this decade. It?s an ambitious target and, if we?re being totally honest, a daunting one. Accounting for around 40% of total global carbon emissions, the building industry is a big part of the problem. It can feel like a heavy weight to carry. That?s why this project has been a beacon of hope for our integrated practice?it has invigorated and energized us.
One simple question started the entire journey: How can you build a c...