Shigeru Ban: Timber in Architecture

Despite being one of the oldest building materials, wood is revolutionising the way we design and construct buildings today. Criteria such as a changing work-life balance and working for a carbon-neutral future allow us to better account for the resources that buildings use and their effect on the natural environment. Studies have also shown the positive impacts of wood on health, wellness, and working toward equity in our local communities as we create beautiful spaces in which to gather, learn, and live.

Initially applied in the early 2000s as a decorative element in the facade of buildings, mass timber is increasingly seen as an alternative to traditional steel-and-concrete construction. With advances in technology, mass timber is now even used in the structural frame of tall buildings. Featured in this title is a comprehensive survey of over 50 buildings.

From museum projects like the Aspen Museum of Art to Pompidou Metz, the new global headquarters for Swatch and temporary shelters for both natural and man-made disasters, they showcase the state of the art in this emerging technology, one that imagines novel applications for this most ancient of building materials, as well as Mount Fuji World Heritage Center, La Seine Musicale Performance Hall in Paris, the Oita Prefectural Museum, and the 19-story Terrace House in Vancouver, the world s tallest mass timber building, scheduled for completion in 2022.