Hope scrapes the sky - why a 105-storey zero-carbon Hybrid Timber Tower prototype fuels optimism that we can decarbonise our cities

25 February 2021

David Rowlinson


The hybrid timber tower would be the tallest building in Canada – and also one of the most sustainable. Construction uses a patent-pending, prefabricated, composite hybrid timber floor system combined with a diagrid steel structure and concrete core that slashes embodied carbon almost in half compared with a steel and concrete structure. 

The building would contain 14 times as much mass timber as the current world record- holding tall wood building (Mjøstårnet, also known as the Mjøsa Tower in Brumunddal, Norway).

Dialog has joined many other Canadian architecture firms in signing a ‘2030 Challenge Pledge’ to make all buildings carbon neutral by the end of the decade. 

“It’s an ambitious target and, if we’re being totally honest, a daunting one. Accounting for around 40 per cent of total global carbon emissions, the building industry is a big part of the problem,” says Dialog chair Jim Anderson. 

“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 energised us.” 

One simple question started the entire journey: How can you build a clear span of 12 metres for a Class A office building using mass timber? Answer: The new hybrid building encases post-tensioned cables in steel cages, in a concrete trough that is then recessed into a CLT wood panel to achieve longer spans. 

The architectural and engineering design team recognised early on that this innovation could help wrest mass timber out of its small-span niche, but they needed to make sure it could be constructed and be cost-competitive. 

An R&D team demonstrated that not only was the system viable from a constructability standpoint, but the cost premium for the system was in line with other structural innovations. 

Once the team had a proven concept, they wanted to demonstrate that it could work in any building type. That’s what spurred the idea of a super-tall structure. 

“It’s six buildings that are just stacked on top of each other,” says project architect Cam Veres. 

Article first appeared in Timber & Forestry E-News


Photo of the author: David Rowlinson
David Rowlinson

David hails from Lancashire, England and has lived in Australia since 1994. He studied Architecture at Sheffield University and also has an MBA from Macquarie University and a Master of Marketing from UNSW. Prior to joining Planet Ark in 2016 David was Marketing Manager then CEO of a major Sydney-based manufacturer of modular carpets used in all commercial building applications. His proudest achievement was the development of an industry-leading environmental sustainability agenda, including the unique Earthplus product reuse program.


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