Enabling Landscapes: INTERHOLCO's Sustainability Report 2017

The value of ‘Made in Africa’ wood: for Cities, globally
Cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, and productivity; social, human and
economic development. According to the United Nations, the urban population in 2014 rose to
54% of the total global population, up from 34% in 1960. Today, the majority of people live in
urban areas. Wood products lend themselves well to pre-fabricated components that take
less time to build. Polluting less and with better seismic performance than concrete and
masonry buildings, wood is fire resistant, thus holding the answer to cost-saving projects that
ensure high-quality living spaces. From Brazzaville to Bergen, Chicago, London, Milan, Paris,
São Paulo, Tokyo, Vienna and Zürich, wood is becoming more and more the material of choice.
as seen
on designMENA
Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
Despite a tight project deadline, London and
Istanbul-based AVCI architects used natural
wood as much as possible to complete their
Congo Kintele Congress Centre (2017)
as seen
on dezeen
São Paulo, Brazil
Scheduled to open in 2019, Rosewood
Tower hotel pays homage to trees that
can be found in the Brazilian Atlantic
Forest. With a plant-filled, 90-metre tall
tower, the hotel draws on inspiration
from Africa, America and Italy
as seen
on archdaily
as seen
on architecture now
Portland, United States
The United States’ first mass-timber
highrise has been granted planning
permission (2017), ushering in a new era of
tall wooden construction in the US
Canterbury, New Zealand
The Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology
building demonstrates that sustainable multi-storey
timber buildings ensure a high level of earthquake
protection (2011)
64 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2017 INTERHOLCO