by Hellen Walters

July 9th, 2013

Original Source: TED

“Like snowflakes, no two pieces of wood can be the same anywhere on earth,” says architect Michael Green in today’s lyrical TED talk, “Why we should build wooden skyscrapers,” in which he lays out his thesis for designing and engineering the world’s tallest buildings from one of its oldest materials. “Mother Nature has fingerprints in our buildings,” he says proudly.

We asked Green to share more of his thinking around wooden buildings. And boy, did he deliver. With this beautiful visual essay, he lays out his reasoning for wanting to use the material in buildings of all shapes, heights and sizes. He also answers common critiques of the concept — and then lays down a challenge for the world’s engineers and developers to get involved in pushing the boundaries of the possible. You know. Just for good measure. Our thanks to him and the team at Michael Green Architecture for pulling this together.