Michael Green

When the first skyscraper was built in Chicago in 1885 … people were afraid … it would collapse. Today, as towers made of wood go up around the world, the response is a similar mixture of wonder and fear. …but the truth is that wooden construction is healthier, both for people and for the planet. Buildings and construction are the largest source of anthropogenic greenhouse gases… A building’s structural elements, typically steel and concrete, are “a huge component of that carbon footprint”, says architect Michael Green. …Green was an early advocate of wooden construction and continues to think about improving the construction industry’s climate impact. His question now is what new structural material could replace the big four widely used in construction: wood, steel, concrete and masonry. One possibility, which he favours, would be creating a material from plant fibres that can be formed into organic, efficient shapes, minimizing waste and capturing carbon at the same time.