# Sky-High Wooden Buildings This New Tower Has Been Designed for London's Barbican Estate By Michael Hemsworth | Published 2016-04-11 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wooden-building References: [gizmag](http://www.gizmag.com/london-first-wooden-skyscraper/42741/) & [cam.ac.uk](http://www.cam.ac.uk/) A wooden building that could soon become part of the London skyline, the [Barbican Estate](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/feel-the-sound) tower is crafted as a multi-use building to help enrich the bustling metropolis. With a set height of 80-storeys, the building would bring an additional 1,000 housing units to the city; that's about one million additional square feet of residential floorspace. The building has been designed in collaboration with the [Cambridge University Department of Architecture](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/new-toneoptic-rpm) and would bring about several difficult challenges. It has been argued that [wooden buildings](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/katajanokan-laituri) can actually outperform other building materials in the event of a fire, which could help make the building more resilient. Although it's unclear when the project is planned to begin, the plans have been submitted to the mayor for approval. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 0.7/10 - Popularity: 8% | Activity: 6% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Architecture](https://www.trendhunter.com/architecture) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Wooden Skyscrapers:** Building towering, multi-use wooden buildings could revolutionize city development by maximizing space, improving safety, and reducing carbon emissions. - **Collaborative Architecture:** Collaborative design efforts between architects and universities can lead to innovative, sustainable building solutions. - **Fire-resistant Wood:** Research and development of new wood-based materials can lead to buildings that are more resilient in fire safety and offer new opportunities for sustainable construction. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Construction:** Construction companies can incorporate innovative wood-based building materials, construction techniques, and design processes to create towering, multi-use wooden buildings. - **Architecture:** Architects can collaborate with research institutions and wood manufacturers to develop sustainable, cost-effective, and innovative design and construction solutions for wooden buildings. - **Wood Products:** Wood manufacturers can invest in research and development of new wood-based materials that can revolutionize the building industry and create new markets for sustainable wood products. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Mass-Timber Apartment Blocks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wood-up.md) - [Tree-Surrounding Mass-Timber Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tree-courtyard-house.md) - [Wood-Framed Housing Blocks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/common-woods.md) - [Forest Tower Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wonderwoods-vertical-forest.md) - [Stepped Office Blocky Buildings](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/landsec.md) - [Wood-Clad Relaxing Housing Blocks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/shigeru-ban-1.md) - [Residential Timber Houses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/arbour-house.md) - [Ski Resort Crystalline Skyscrapers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/trojena-ski-resort.md) - [Stacked Greenwich Industrial Units](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/workstack.md)