French architect Jean Paul Viguier has won a competition to design a new housing and office complex in Bordeaux, proposing a trio of timber-framed towers that will be among the tallest of their kind in the world.
Called Hyperion, Jean Paul Viguier's design was selected ahead of leading firms ? including a Sou Fujimoto and Laisné Roussel team ? for the ?51 million (£40 million) project, which will create 82 apartments and offices.
The 17,000-square-metre scheme includes three blocks with engineered timber structures, including an 18-storey tower that could become the world's tallest modern timber-framed building when complete.
Jean Paul Viguier plans to build a trio of towers with engineered timber structures
Located at the centre of the plot, the 18-storey tower will rise to a height of 57 metres, and will be covered with plant-filled balconies. It will be sandwiched between a nine-storey housing block with integrated parking, and a seven-storey office block formed from two stacked boxes.
The tallest block will have a concrete core containing the lifts and stairs, but be surrounded by a wooden post-and-beam structure. Floors and walls will be made from cross-laminated timber (CLT) ? a type of engineered wood that provides greater strength than traditional timber.
The huge wooden structure will be prefabricated in a workshop to allow for quick and easy assembly on site. The wooden walls will allow homes to be easily expanded or contracted in the futur...