A wooden tower: the seeds of an idea

Could entire urban districts soon be comprised of tall timber structures? Peter Wilson explores the timber engineering developments that are creating high-rise possibilities.

Article from Timber 2017 Industry Yearbook

Construction output is forecast to rise by 1.6% in 2017, a revision upwards from the 1.3% in our previous forecasts, primarily driven by growth in new infrastructure activity and private house building, offsetting declines in commercial offices, retail and industrial factories.

Key survey findings include:

• 22% of main building contractors, on balance, reported that construction output rose in the second quarter of 2017 compared with a year ago
• 30% of specialist contractors reported a rise in output during Q2
• 13% of civil engineers, on balance, reported an increase in workloads...