Hackney will soon be home to the “world’s largest” timber tower as the area embraces the green building trend.
Regal Homes has started work on a 10-storey development in Dalston Lane which will provide 121 homes and 3,460 m2 of commercial space using 3,000 cubic metres of timber.
It is the second timber tower to be built in the area in two years after the nearby £10m nine-storey Murray Grove development was completed in March.
The tower will be constructed from cross-laminated timber, layers of small wooden pieces glued and pressed together until boards are up to 18 inches thick.
The company says pre-fabricated panels allow construction to be much quicker and quieter than using concrete. When the panels arrive on site, they are craned from the back of a truck, put in place and screwed down with cordless screwdrivers.
The wooden structures are said to last for up to 150 years and can be recycled at the end of their lifespan.
Andrew Waugh, of Waugh Thistleton, the architect behind the Dalston Lane scheme, said: “The technology has come on in leaps and bounds over the past 20 years. We are talking about very solid, engineered timber.
“Cement is one of the biggest producers of greenhouse gases. More pollution comes from the production of cement than the whole of the airline industry.”
Elsewhere in Hackney Bridport House, a £6m housing project, and the canal-side Whitmore Road scheme in Hackney used similar timber architecture in their recent construction.
Regal Homes says the Dalston Lane development is part of a new generation of timber buildings springing up across Europe, including proposals for a 35-storey structure in Paris and 34-storey building in Stockholm.
