Wooden skyscraper Ascent recognized as the tallest in the world

The 25-story Ascent skyscraper, designed by Korb + Architects, is now considered the world record height in its class. It is located in Milwaukee, Missouri and reaches almost 90 meters in height.

However, the base of the skyscraper is a five-level parking lot made of concrete, which, in turn, rests on a system of metal piles, also filled with concrete. The elevator shaft and staircases are also made from the same material, and the outer skin is almost entirely glass. And yet the main structure of the skyscraper is a system of beams, slabs and supports made of laminated beams.

The presence of concrete and other materials somewhat reduces the “wooden” status of the record-breaking building. However, since the main vertical and lateral structures are made of wood, the building belongs to the class of wooden structures.

The unusual high-rise took two years to erect. The use of glued laminated beams allowed to reduce the construction time by a quarter compared to the 25-storey concrete counterpart. At the same time, a special impregnation provides the wooden Ascent with very high fire safety.