World’s tallest timber residential structure to rise in Vienna

Vienna, Austria, is set to host the world’s tallest residential timber construction when the 24-storey HoHo building is completed in 2017.
The tallest timber building currently stands in Bergen, Norway, which is a residential hi-rise of 14 storeys.

Work is expected to beginon the Austrian hi-rise in Spring on a site located in Seestadt Aspern northeast of Vienna by the Seepark park
"Our innovative goal is to realise synergy in architecture, ecology and the building's usage value for its residents and other occupants. In addition, wood offers an important visual and tactile impact," said Rudiger Lainer or RLP Architects.

"The starting point is to realise the building as efficiently as possible. We combine wood construction with concrete construction and with this synergy we strive for the best possible solution from the standpoint of building regulations, quality, cost-efficiency, fire safety and flexibility.”

To ensure cost-efficiency, RLP Architects wanted to use wood structures as a starting point in the most effective possible floor plan solution. The towers are hybrid structures. Concrete stair towers reinforce their cores, where the lift and installation shafts are also located. Offices and other spaces around the stair tower are wood structures that bear their own weight.

The aim has been to utilise the best features of each material according to load-bearing capability, fire safety as well as comfort in households and other spaces. This has enabled meeting the important functional requirements for a tall building, including strict construction regulations. About 74% of the structures above the foundation are wood.

"Wood is a natural choice in Austria, because more of it grows than is used. Wood is cost-effective, it saves resources, it has high acceptability and wood surfaces create a natural atmosphere in indoor spaces. We have developed a technical wood construction system that enables construction of tall buildings," Lainer added.