Switzerland is set to become home to the world’s tallest timber residential building.
The project, named Rocket&Tigerli, will consist of four buildings including one that boasts a 100-meter-tall (328-foot) tower. The development will be built in the Swiss city of Winterthur, which is located near Zurich.
The design will offer modern, high-quality housing with a maximum inflow of daylight, according to its designers, the Danish firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects (SHL). It will also seek to create an active neighborhood that will be “rooted in the area’s historical context,” according to a press release from the firm. The facade, for example, will be covered in dark red and yellow terracotta bricks combined with dusty green-colored details – in keeping with the red roofs and yellow bricks of the older buildings in the surrounding area.
“We approach this project with a great sense of humbleness,” Kristian Ahlmark, partner and design director at SHL, is quoted as saying in the press release.
“It is a big project that will have a significant influence on the community, socially as well as aesthetically. Because of the strong expertise Switzerland has, when it comes to building in wood, we are particularly proud to be working on this ground-breaking project.”
The four buildings will comprise of housing facilities as well as spaces for retail, a sky bar and a hotel. It is expected to be completed and ready for residents to move into by 2026.
The project marks a milestone in the construction of timber buildings, said SHL. The firm added that, at 100 meters, it sets the record for residential buildings with a load-bearing timber construction, and “introduces an innovative construction system that examines wood as a natural replacement for concrete.”